Assassin's Daughter
by locainlove
Summary: AU. Sesshomaru, an assassin known as the Sadist for viable reasons, just had a marriage arranged for him. Yup, and there's more than what meets the eye to his cheery fiancée. Wait, assassins aren't supposed to fall in love, right? Uh oh... SessRin InuKag
1. Fille de Meurtrier

**A/N: HELLS YEAH! ANOTHER ASSASSIN STORY! I'm officially obsessed. YES! ObSESSed! He he, I'm gonna see that Obsessed movie when it comes out. It looks good! **

**Anyway...Happy Easter! Me celebrated by going to church. O.O Well, I am posting this story, aren't I? :-D Any French words should be self-explanatory! If you don't understand what it says, just ask me! I am by no means a French expert, just Spanish! **

Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or its characters or its plot or its money. I do not own its creator. I do not own brand names, expensive cars, or whatever else. I do own my brain. Nope, it was bought by Wal-Mart, I just remembered! :-D**

WARNING**: I'm saying it now before ppl complain! Sesshoumaru is deliberately OOC because he is in assassin-mode. Yup, keep that in mind for the rest of the story! Then again...Sessh is very merciless in the anime/manga too... O.O Story is rated M for explicit language and suggestive themes! **

**ENJOY THE CHAPPIE!**

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**Assassin's Daughter**

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"You sicken me."

His icy golden honey eyes swept over the trembling form of the bastard he had cornered into a chair, narrowing in disgust at the vermin they were forced to see. Hmph, he detested such cowards, but none had irked him as much as this fool, who now hugged himself as though that alone would save him from what was to come.

Anyone staring into his cold eyes could foretell that what was to come...would be painful. Why? Because the diminutive smile curving his lips definitely reached his eyes, a smile that meant the sadist in him had been unleashed.

He then shifted his gaze from the currently crying rat demon to the metallic black contraption in his right black leather-gloved hand that gleamed in delight—a sure response of witnessing its master's cruelty. His long, clawed fingers gripped the smooth handle of his favorite handgun, and the amused gold of his irises once again met the petrified scarlet red of his enemy...

No...his _hostage._

"You truly sicken me." The smile had still not left his face.

"P-Please...I beg you...I-I promise I w-will—" The pleading of the filthy common rat was hushed when he brought his slender finger to settle over his quivering pale lips.

He leaned his head closer to his victim, allowing his long tresses the color of majestic silver glaciers to spill onto the vermin's lap. All the while, amused gold met with petrified scarlet in a gaze mixed with painful terror...and malicious pleasure.

He kept leaning forward in an excruciatingly slow pace, slow enough that the rat demon fidgeted in his executive chair, daring to wonder what this beautiful dog demon who literally held his life in his dainty hands would do to him. Soon, the proximity between them was so narrow that when the dog demon tilted his head to the left, his silken lips was a hairsbreadth away from his abnormally cool skin, right below his ear.

He couldn't suppress the shiver running down his spine and chilling his bones—he knew his life was about to end.

"You sicken me, rat, and do you know what I do to those who sicken me?" The shaking demon didn't dare move his head. "I simply...kill them."

Those damnable silken lips still smiled cynically; taunting him, haunting him—they even gently pressed against the base of his pointed ear to further terrify him. Accompanied by a baritone voice smoother than the most luxurious velvet, a deep voice raising the hairs in the back of his neck, those same damnable lips might as well bring death along with pleasure.

The dog demon soon drew away from him, taking a step back.

And then, the formerly amused gold meld of his irises suddenly darkened into a thick honey paste in response to the chilling apathy freezing the dog demon's eyes over. All traces of amusement, including his sadistic smile, erased to allow room for his new face; a face sculpted from the well-known apathetic ice.

The rat demon's arms slackened to his sides, deciding that instead of hugging his body for protection, they would merely let terror numb their nerves, leaving them limp and useless on his black chair's armrests.

This was the true sadist...this was the beautiful stone face that would kill him tonight.

"I can make your death painless and quick, or I can make it an agonizing preview to the hell that awaits you. It all depends on how well you answer my question." The dog demon's golden honey eyes stared unwaveringly at him, but the rat's own nervous scarlet eyes drifted to the metallic black gun held in his captor's hand.

The ceiling lights it reflected made him dizzy—why was he being tortured like this?

He didn't need to respond when the beautifully chilling demon took another step back, making no sound whatsoever. He calmly raised his right arm to point directly at his sweaty forehead, and the rat demon could only look on with eyes wide and awed, mesmerized by the beauty and ice of it all—no, of his killer-to-be.

The killer who could revert even the most powerful of men back to wailing babes.

"Listen and listen well, you French vermin."

The demon was still hiding behind the transfixing fog that clouded his senses, and now he was overtaken by the way his killer was well-rounded enough to know how to speak French fluently, as if he was a native born Frenchman. Perhaps if his death wasn't impendent, he would praise this Japanese dog demon and worship the ground he walked on, and even return the divine air he had stolen from him.

"Where did you hide the Bleu Diamant?" His grip tightened on his handgun, and his arm didn't waver one bit.

Ah, the _Bleu Diamant_—French for Blue Diamond—was also known as the Heart of the Night gem. The rat demon let out a harrowed chuckle. It was the most coveted and expensive diamond in the world; its cost estimated over a million Euros. And he had it. Yes, he had it—he possessed the damned diamond that in the end would cost him the highest price in the world: his life.

Why was that?

Because he stole it.

And this dog demon had come to retrieve what rightfully belonged to his ultimately powerful family.

But he would not be able to find the diamond.

"I no longer have it." His response had been strangely collected, almost like he was no longer seized by terror. The fog in his mind was causing him to accept death, to think that the darkness of the afterlife would be paradise compared to the hell reality was forcing him into at the moment.

However, he watched the cold eyes of his captor narrow.

**BANG! **

**"AAAHAAAHAAAHH!!" **

In a split second, he lost his right ear.

Tears moistened his eye lids and rolled down his pale, robust cheeks, sliding all the way down to spill onto his sleek black business suit. His fingers clutched the arm rest in a death grip as he concentrated on something else rather than the exploding pain where his ear should have been...but no relief came. It was as if miniature yet sharp, hot knives were stabbing his cranium, trying to reach the goal of imbedding into his brain even if it was farfetched.

He hated the sensation of warm blood dripping down the side of his face and onto his shoulder...he hated the bastard who shot him. As well as the bastard who had _sent_ him.

He also hated the fact that he could do nothing—not even fight back.

He was useless.

"You answered wrong, rat," he crooned in his smooth, deep voice, and the ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Let's try again; where is the Bleu Diamant?" His arm was still poised at eye level...and was directed towards the rat demon's left ear.

"I-It..." He managed to rasp out one word, but the rest of his sentence struggled to pass through the large lump that had settled in his throat. A whimper escaped him when he heard the sharp click of a cocked gun. "I...s-some...one...a woman...r-red...t-took—"

**BANG!**

**"STOOOOOOP!!"**

In a split second, he lost his left ear.

"I will repeat myself only _once_ more. _Where _did you hide the Bleu Diamant? If you tell me now, I will end your misery. If you don't...then more pain awaits you." A sadistic smile curved his lips again as he aimed his black handgun at the demon's ankle. The smile only grew when he observed the wide, frightened scarlet eyes that were silently pleading for mercy.

Of course, he would receive none.

"P-Please! I...s'not a-a lie! S-She took...she took...ahh!" It was hard to speak through clenched teeth and the lump in his throat, but he gained the ability to shout when he heard the all too recognizable click of a cocked gun again. "She took it! I swear it! She was here only a few minutes before you and she took the diamant! **SHE TOOK IT!!" **

Blood gushed out of his nostrils while rivulets of the crimson liquid flowed down both sides of his neck. The agony he was going through at the moment had to be _worse_ than hell!

"And who is she?" The dog demon was scrupulous of the information being said to him. Even if the French rat didn't seem to be lying to him, he still couldn't believe that a woman had taken the Blue Diamond he absolutely _needed_ to complete his mission. How was he supposed to return back to his father empty handed?

He narrowed his eyes when he received no solid answer. All that came from the wimpy bastard was a whimper and fresh salty tears biting at his sensitive nose. "Who _is_ she?"

No answer.

**BANG!**

**"AARGH—AHHHHHAAAAHHH!!!!"**

In a split second, the bones in his right ankle shattered.

"Tell me who _she_ is. _Now_."

His puffy red eyes blinked open, staring at the pale-skinned beautiful demon with the markings of royalty on his face. He eyed the indigo crescent moon sitting directly in the center of his forehead, where his tenuous silver bangs opened, and then his eyes trailed over the two magenta stripes aligned across each one of his defined cheeks.

He blinked once more, his mind attempting to work past the pain overloading his senses, and at long last, after his careful observation of the beautiful sadist before him, he parted his chapped lips to speak.

"_Fille de Meurtrier_...Assassin's D-Daughter. Crimson...she wore c-crimson. I-I believe...she is _Japonais_ as you a-are...she took the _diamant_...fif...f-fifteen minutes a-ago..."

_Hn, so I have an adversary. How challenging._ The dog demon smirked. _Assassin's Daughter, huh? I've never heard of her. But she will soon never be heard of again. _

"So beautiful and dangerous...her embrace is murderous..." He slightly cocked his head when the rat demon began mumbling what seemed like gibberish to him. Who was he referring to—the Assassin's Daughter? "She is hunting us...she will win...beware of the _Lionne_."

_The Lioness? Is he speaking in riddles?_ The poor fool must be near the brink of death.

His eyes then raked over the trembling form wasting away on the black executive chair in front of him—it was a disgusting sight to his all too perfect golden eyes. Blood marred the rat demon's round face and led a trail through his neck, shoulders, the white shirt neatly tucked under his double breasted suit, his legs, and all the way onto the French oak floor.

Ah, he loved his work of art.

He never noticed, however, the small movement of the bastard's left hand...

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! **

The dog demon blinked and furrowed his thin dark brows in confusion at the sound of an alarm filtering from the room and into the halls until everyone in the mansion would be alerted of trouble. His golden eyes settled on the smirking face of the dying vermin staring back at him—he appeared to be comforted by death with a carefree glint in his dull scarlet eyes.

Or maybe he just went insane—pain made people do unimaginable things.

"Rat, you are _balourd_—completely foolish," he muttered, resisting the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance. "You think merely because you pressed the emergency button I will begin to cower in fear? Hn, perhaps you need to be taught one more lesson before you die."

The smile filled with malice lurked back onto the stone face of the dog demon, also bringing along an amused glint in his brightened amber eyes. His black leather-clad arm lowered an inch, directing the gun in his hand to point towards the rat demon's left ankle.

**BANG! **

There went the bones in his left ankle.

**"AAAAAGGGHHH!"**

"I fear _no_ one." The smile grew to the point of revealing one of his sharp canine fangs.

**BANG!**

His right hand was no limper than his feet.

**"NOOOOO!!!" **

"I answer to _no_ one." His golden eyes became vibrant with delight.

**BANG!**

His left hand could no longer reach for any hidden emergency buttons.

**"PLEASE STOOOOOP!"**

"I am the _Sadist_." His true face exposed itself as he relished in the vermin's suffering.

**BANG!**

The rat alas made no sound when a bullet lodged itself between his beady scarlet eyes.

"I am _Sesshoumaru_." He dropped his arm and allowed himself to bask in the silence death always brought.

It was what he loved about his job, the only thing making it tolerable and enjoyable in the long, tiring years he had continued accepting his father's missions. The silence calmed him, tamed the raging storm in him—the chilling silence only death could summon was what curbed him to become the perfect killer.

Yes, he, Sesshoumaru, was an assassin, the Sadist.

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**

Shit! Couldn't those damn assholes back the fuck off?! It was bad enough he hadn't completed his mission, but to get caught during one was so much worse! His golden honey eyes shifted to the rear view mirror of his shiny silver Porsche Carrera GT and he counted the number of black cars gaining up on him; there were eleven in all.

_Eleven_.

Yet, he wasn't nervous. No, just really pissed off! Gods, he wished he had a grenade launcher right about now...

He let out an annoyed growl and set his eyes back on the winding road before him. It had to be about two in the morning—any normal person would be in their homes, getting the rest they deserved prior to waking up for work. But _no_, he wasn't just any normal person, because here he was forced into this damn car chase thousands of miles away from his true home!

Sometimes he hated the dangerous life he led...

**BANG! BANG! BANG! **

Great, now the assholes decided to start shooting at him! Crap, if he brought back this rented car filled with dents and bullet holes...he'd have a hell of a hard time explaining them. _I really wish I had a grenade or anything that explodes! I knew I should've bought one... _Yup, he had been stupid.

Oh well.

Sesshoumaru expertly wove down the insanely narrow curbs of the country road trailing miles before him, dodging as many bullets as he could in the process. The screeching of his tires against asphalt bothered his sensitive ear drums, but he paid no heed to it. All he was concentrating on was his escape and how he was going to get rid of the bastards following him.

Damn, they were closing in on him quickly!

No matter, he just picked up his speed from sixty miles per hour to a hundred.

He would drive faster, yet with the winding road, it was suicide, _even_ for a demon.

"Shit," the silver-haired dog demon hissed, taking the chance to take a hand and rake it through his tenuous bangs—an act he usually did when he was frustrated, or in rare cases like this, in trouble. "Those damn filthy vermin rats blocked my escape route!"

His golden eyes blazed in fury at what he saw a few miles ahead of him—a total of twenty black cars all lined adjacent to each other, blocking the rest of the road he was on. He could imagine the smug smirks those French rats had on their angled faces; he quickly cast the picture out of his mind before he was scarred for life—rat demons weren't known for their good looks...

**BANG! BANG! BANG! **

**"GIVE UP ALREADY, MUTT! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!"**

Hmph! As if he, Sesshoumaru, the Sadist, pro assassin extraordinaire, was going to adhere to these foolish cowards! They were trying to make him laugh!

Deftly driving single handedly—while in a dangerous road at an alarming a hundred miles per hour, no less—he pulled out his favorite handgun, and without looking back, shot the cretin who had stuck his head out of his car's black tinted window to shout bullshit.

Furthermore, no one called him a mutt and had the pleasure of living to tell about it.

Alright, after he allowed himself the joy of a swift kill—now what the hell was he supposed to do?! He was nearing the barricade of automobiles and the idiots trailing after him like eager puppies were relentless; there was no way he could turn back or even keep moving forward.

He lacked the equipment to do so...like a goddamn grenade!

"After this, I'm going grenade shopping." Sesshoumaru smirked and gripped the black leather steering wheel of his Porsche.

He took a calming breath of air before he applied more pressure on the acceleration pedal, increasing his speed to a hundred and thirty miles per hour in only one second. His racing heart slowed to a steady pulse, beating loudly in his ear, nearly deafening him and blocking any other sound. After a few seconds, it seemed as if the world around him had slowed along with his heart...melded into one time frame...

The dog demon narrowed his eyes, shifted into second gear, and waited for his chance.

...he waited...

...the black cars behind him were merely a few yards away from his back bumper...

...he waited...

...the fools ahead of him prepared their guns to shoot him down...

...he waited...

...until...

**SCREEECH!!! **

**CRASH!!! **

He chuckled in pure amusement at the various accidents he had caused in his little escapade, but he hardly minded. He had waited until the final second to turn his car left, veering off the road only to drive on the grassy plains of the French country side. Of course, he hardly knew where he was going, but that was the least of his worries. Even though enemy cars followed his moves at the last split second, he felt in control and confident in his ability to escape.

Yup, no worries.

**BOOOM!!!**

Fuck, _now_ the stupid rats started using _grenades_ on him!

_Not_ good.

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth as he side swept the explosion of a grenade, luckily not sustaining any damage to his vehicle. Debris flew everywhere as he made several twists and turns, moving out of target before a damn bomb fell on his rented car; he cursed the country side when dirt particles clouded his windshield, preventing him from seeing further up ahead.

_Vroom! Vroom! Screeech!_

However...he did hear the screeching of tires as well as the loud roaring of an unfamiliar engine coming from _ahead_ of him, and in a sudden panic, Sesshoumaru stomped on the breaks before his car did a one-hundred-eighty degree turn. He used his windshield wipers to clear the dirt that had momentarily blinded his outdoor vision, and laid wide eyes on the scene in front of him.

He blinked, thinking his mind was playing tricks on him, but he concluded that the idea was unlikely. So, still in a stupor, he pressed a button opening the vertical door to the driver's side of his Porsche and stepped out of his car. His long, unbound silver tresses flowed along with the brisk nighttime winds, also sweeping his bangs away from his face, and his lips parted into a small gape.

Sesshoumaru's golden honey eyes did not stray from the blood red Aston Martin DBS sitting horizontally in front of his silver Porsche, acting as a barrier between his car and the other cars slowly coming to a stop before this new adversary. He, at first, suspected the owner of the gorgeous sports car of being a potential enemy, but he dismissed it when no move was made to...well, _kill_ him.

Either way...his breathing hitched as the driver's door opened...and a crimson booted leg revealed itself.

_Apparently the owner of this car is a woman. _He inwardly scoffed—what would _she_ be able to do against all fifteen of those gangster rat demons?

Even so, he continued to watch, mesmerized as the figure completely stepped out of her car, which matched the color of her outfit. Although he could only see her back, he openly trailed his eyes over her slender form, beginning from her knee-high booted feet to her short pleated skirt to what he surmised was a lacy corset top covering her torso, accenting her narrow waist and the swell of her hips. Her obsidian black hair was also up in a fashionable bun held together by crimson chopsticks.

All in all, from behind, she looked down right sexy.

_She must be brave to be wearing a skirt. _He smirked at that. Well...he could tell she had a really nice ass, tight and round just the way he—um, forget that train of thought.

Anyway...who the hell was she?!

Sesshoumaru couldn't catch her scent from where he stood, but he figured she was human. Gods, he wouldn't mind looking at her front side if from her backside she seemed sexy...

One of the rat demons that had been trailing after him climbed out of his raven black Ascari KZ1 and boldly faced the woman, who had not uttered a single word and was standing proudly beside her blood red car. Sesshoumaru put a hand on his pocketed gun in case the vermin discreetly tried anything.

"Step aside, wench, unless you want to be killed."

Still, she did not say anything.

"Did I stutter? Step. Aside."

No words.

Instead, she dug something out of her pocket and flashed it at the obnoxious rat demon, some kind of object that made his beady scarlet eyes bug out of their sockets. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes to catch a glimpse of what the mystery woman held in her hand, and once he saw the gleam of a glistening dark blue object no larger than an egg, he gaped—again—but this time, he wanted to claw that bitch to death.

Why?

Because she held the _Bleu Diamant_ in her right hand.

_'Fille de Meurtrier...Assassin's D-Daughter. __Crimson...she wore c-crimson...'_ The words of the head gang leader of the rat demons echoed through his mind, reminding him that this was the insufferable bitch who had become his new challenge.

Yet, even if she was his new enemy...damn she was sexy...

"Y-You...it's you! Boss said to beware of you! Prepare to die, wench!" The rat demon, in a surge of adrenaline, drew his silver pistol and pointed it at the unflinching woman, who only tiled her head slightly to one side in response. His hands trembled at the lack of reaction—she showed no fear.

The dog demon standing yards behind the 'assassin' also raised his gun, but at the damn rat demon threatening to kill his opponent before he did. He'd be damned before his kill was taken from him!

However...

...the apparent Assassin's Daughter only put away the diamond and dug into her other pocket. She pulled out a small, circular contraption the size of coin that confused the ones intently watching her. It was only until she seemed to push down on the top of the object that they all realized what it was...

Though, it was too late.

She nonchalantly threw it out in front of her, towards the line of fifteen immobile cars appearing like sitting ducks—not like they had time to flee, anyway... Sesshoumaru began to see his adversary in a new light at the little trick she had up her sleeve...or skirt.

**BOOOM!!! **

The deafening sound popped his ears, as well as the agonizing screeches of the rat demons engulfed by a furious pit of flame from hell—heck, he heard his car vibrating due to the shock of it. He observed the vivid red orange flame, dancing around joyously from car to car, embracing the demons lovingly even though it wasn't returned.

The heat expelled from the explosion felt like a warm sheet covering his lean frame, flustering his cheeks and melting his icy eyes. The woman in front of him had yet to move away, and he watched her instead, noting how she seemed to revel in the disaster she caused just as much as he did.

She just stood there with her feet firmly planted onto the ground—she hadn't even flinched from the sound of her miniature grenade exploding. It was...it was amazing in his eyes; admirable, even. He was so paralyzed with shock and wonder that he forgot he was supposed to be battling this mysterious woman, not watching her as though she were the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes upon.

But she truly was.

She was gorgeous, beautiful, wondrous, devilish; his list of words could go on as he watched her with dancing flames serving as a fitting background for this..._assassin_.

Sesshoumaru couldn't remove his eyes from her, much less walk away from his spot, not even when she turned her head towards him. The shadows from the fire gorging on the cars masked half her face, making her seem even more beautiful, more mysterious, more... Dammit, she really was sexy in every way!

The sight of her glaring at him with her blazing dark eyes would be imprinted in his memory for the rest of his life.

He would _never_ forget this moment.

Yet...it was time to stop ogling and start moving when the Assassin's Daughter flaunted another object... She bounced it in her hand a couple of times, letting him know what awaited him if he didn't take her benign head start. The dog demon couldn't deny that his blood raced in...in sheer _excitement_. The heat from the fire apparently imbedded itself into his veins, coursing through them, causing his heart to pound wildly, savagely.

He was overtaken by _fear _and _delight _for the first time in his life!

For the first time..._he_ was the one being hunted.

And he _loved_ the feeling.

Sesshoumaru smirked and wasted no time to get into his Porsche, forcing the engine to roar with life in less than a second. He eyed the woman who had not moved a single inch one more time prior to making another half circle turn—he then sped away from the fiery assassin at an alarming a hundred and thirty miles per hour.

All the while, he kept glancing at her through his rear view mirror. She was still there where he had left her with her head sinisterly cocked...in another second, he watched her throw the mini grenade in his direction.

His smirk blew into an impish grin. "And let the chase begin."

**BOOOM!!!**

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**A/N: WOOT! END! :-D Merf, I ate too much today...can't rant...**

Next chapter:** It's back to Japan for Sesshoumaru! But not all goes as planned... **

**Sooo...who is the Assassin's Daughter? Will her and Sesshoumaru meet again? What will InuTaishou dod when he finds out his son failed his mission? Where's my popcorn? When is the romance coming in? Soon... **

**STAY TUNED! REVIEW TO ENCOURAGE ANOTHER CHAPPIE! :-D HAPPY EASTER!**


	2. Codename: Sunshine

**A/N: STOP BARKING YOU FIEND!!! STOP!!!! *people stare at her like she's crazy, but then again she really is...* **

**Alright, let's get this show on the road! Just a note: some of you who will be possessed by the spirit of a critic, :-D, will note that if you use your brain a little, sequence of events are a bit predictable. **BUT**, I will throw you off with a twist soon so be on your toes!**

**ENJOY THE CHAPPIE! **

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**Assassin's Daughter 2**

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This was unbelievable.

The concept of it was foreign to his ears—hell, he never even _heard_ of such a ludicrous notion! Hmph, if he had the nerve to carry out assassinations in public, he'd dig his claws into her dainty throat in a moment's notice. While he was at it, he might as well add some _blood_ red to the array of vibrant colors on the atrocious scarf wrapped around her neck.

Gods, he hated airports.

"Excuse me, but I don't think I heard you correctly. Could you repeat what you just said?" Sesshoumaru loved the way he sounded as if he was going to murder her if she uttered the wrong word. Not to mention the sight of her trembling in her navy suit eased his frustration—he loved scaring people.

_Perhaps she's new and doesn't know what she's talking about._ Yeah, that was it! Hopefully.

"W-Well, s-sir, there is n-no Maebashi J-Jet waiting for y-you. We have never r-received a notice of such a j-jet arriving, either." The lady working at the ticket booth in the French airport gulped and silently prayed for her life to be spared by this uncannily handsome demon...who had gelid honey eyes that instantly killed her soul.

Sesshoumaru sighed in dismay. Maybe his father had forgotten to send the family jet to come pick him up—the old coot had done that quite a few times just to get on his nerves. "Fine then. I'll just have to fly first class."

"Alright, sir." The woman brightened after no longer hearing the homicidal note in his smooth voice. "What is your destination and departure date?"

"Tokyo, Japan. I'll be leaving any time today. "

"Will you need a round trip? And how many passengers?"

"One way—and it's only for me."

She typed up the information on her computer and then faced him with a perky smile. "Ok, you said first class..." He nodded languidly, seeming as though he might shoot himself while admitting it. "I found an available flight leaving at approximately seven-thirty PM—in about an hour. Is that fine with you, sir?" Another nod. "What method will you be paying?"

"Credit. Account name: Maebashi, Sesshoumaru. Number: 442-34-478," he responded monotonously. He was tired of repeating the same thing over and over again every time he travelled abroad; it was annoying.

The lady nodded and typed the information. However, she soon clicked her tongue. The dog demon standing across from the desk wanted to know why she smelled of fear _again_... "Is something wrong?" _There better be nothing wrong. _

"Umm...well, my computer says that your account is inaccessible..."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in contempt. "Try again."

And she did... "I-It's still the same, sir. Your account is blocked."

_What in the hell? Blocked?_ Did he have to go ballistic to get on a measly plane in France? As if his account was blocked—why in the fuck would it be blocked?!

"Then use this account number: 586-72-359." Fear spiked in her scent after a few seconds... A growl emanated from his chest and lower throat, too deep for humans to hear. _You better not— _

"This account is also inaccessible." Too late, she already said what he dreaded to hear.

"Try. Again." He might as well begin pulling out his guns, which were conveniently unnoticeable by metal detectors and x-rays in his suitcase. Ah, the secret life of an assassin.

Anyway...the woman at the desk did as she was bid and... "Same results."

Sesshoumaru, at this point, desired to gut his father nice and slowly. He knew that his father was the only one who was able to block his account. "I'll be right back."

The dog demon then left the line and wasted no time to whip out his cell phone, speed dialing his home phone number in hopes that his joke-loving father would answer. After the fourth ring—he was beginning to flex his claws from impatience—someone picked up the phone, but it was a squeaky voice that answered, not his father's baritone one.

Ugh, now he had to deal with a servant who was unhealthily devoted to him.

_"This is the Maebashi residence."_

"Jaken—put my father on immediately," Sesshoumaru commanded crisply, leaving no room for nonsense. Unfortunately, the stupid little toad didn't completely understand the moods of his master...

There was a loud shriek from the other line that forced him to pull his BlackBerry away from his pointed ear. Damn, he hated it when Jaken shrieked like a fanatic schoolgirl! _"My lord! It's so good to hear from you! I just finished arranging your under—" _

"I believe I gave you an order." _And I don't want to know what you've been doing with my boxers. _The thought...deeply disturbed him.

_"Y-Yes, my lord! Right away!"_ Why did Jaken have to call him 'my lord' in the first place? He might just have to assassinate the imp one day...

...when he felt like it.

After a few moments of silence, Sesshoumaru became bored waiting for Jaken to retrieve his father. What was there to do as he 'patiently' waited? He didn't know, so he decided to busy himself with staring at random people in the airport.

There was an American family of four sitting close to him, with two children disregarding the world around them in favor of their PSPs while their parents viewed pictures of their vacation. Obviously, they were boring him even more.

So, his golden honey eyes shifted to a heatedly bickering French couple. Their argument was reasonably interesting, though typical—whom he assumed was the man's girlfriend had caught him flirting with a foreign woman.

Bleh.

At this rate, he might end up committing suicide because of these boring people.

"What do you mean he _neglected_ to send it?! How am I supposed to get home?!"

The annoyed shout in his native tongue coming from a young woman instantly caught his attention, and Sesshoumaru turned around to face the person who was...wow, she really was Japanese! She was yelling into her black cell phone—an iPhone perhaps?—as she paced in the waiting area, apparently frustrated with whomever she was speaking to.

He blinked—what a coincidence, they both had the same problem.

"I don't _care_ if he's taking a piss, I don't _care_ if he's visiting Satan in hell—I just want to speak with my father so that I can tell him a thing or two about playing stupid jokes on me!" The young woman was pulling on her obsidian bangs while she kept on ranting about some kind of strife with her father. Her conversation wasn't important anymore—it was the woman herself who interested him.

The dog demon noted she was human—of course, it was a feature difficult to miss. Her eyes were a soft cinnamon color, though they were currently on the border of becoming black with fury, and her dark, wavy hair reached all the way to her waistline. She had an ample body shape with nice curves where he liked them, accented by the form fitting blouse she wore, and her scent was tinted by the sweet fragrance of vanilla and lilies...

Truthfully, there was nothing special about her. If she was one day walking down the busy streets of Tokyo, he would never glance at her twice or even _notice_ her. She didn't have striking eyes, she wasn't model material, she seemed partially insane—and yet, she _intrigued_ him.

For some reason, he couldn't keep his eyes off the young woman...for some reason...

...he was curious about her.

It was far from a good omen considering his canine genes...

However, it bewildered Sesshoumaru when an image of the female assassin he met last night flashed before his eyes. It all came back to him all of a sudden: the intense look she faced him with as fire danced behind her, casting a shadow over her face...the determination in her eyes, the confidence as she held her chin high...

He shook his head, also shaking the images away. The Assassin's Daughter and this stranger had _nothing_ to do with each other—he was positive. This human was obviously incapable of such a murderous look, even if she currently seemed ready to prove him wrong.

_"My lord..."_ Jaken's voice brought Sesshoumaru out of his reverie, and he cleared his throat, remembering that like the woman near by, he was _supposed_ to be angry.

"Where is my father?"

_"Lord InuTaishou does not wish to speak with you, my lord. He said so himself."_

What?! His father refused to talk to him?! Then that meant... Crap, his father was mad at him again. Wonderful! Glorious! It was just what he needed to complete his amazing day!

Now he couldn't _wait_ to get home. Stress _wait_ one more time. "Well, why is the jet not here to pick me up?"

_"Lord InuTaishou did not wish to send it,"_ Jaken replied, his voice trembling on the other line due to his frayed nerves.

"What...?" This couldn't be! Why was his father in a pissy mood today of all days?! "Then what about my accounts? I can't access them."

_"Lord InuTaishou informed me to tell you that he temporarily closed them."_

Great... "That is all."

_"B-But, m'lord, I-I—"_

And Sesshoumaru then hung up on his spluttering servant, restraining himself from squeezing his phone until it broke into tiny little pieces. Oh, how he wished he could **kill** someone right now! Evidently, his father had heard about his failed mission, and was 'punishing' him—**argh!!! **

He wasn't some disrespectful whelp to be reprimanded in such a puerile manner!

"I BARELY HAVE ANY MONEY ON ME!!! HOW IN THE _**HELL**_ AM I SUPPOSED TO PAY FOR AN AIRLINE TICKET TO **JAPAN?!?!"**

So it seemed the mystery woman really _did_ have the same problem as him. Just how much money was in his wallet to purchase a ticket? Certainly not enough for first class...crap. The dog demon willed himself not to think about what that meant...

_I must not commit patricide. I need him alive at least until I buy a grenade gun. _Yes, he would try out his new weapon on that old coot! Brilliant!

"GAAAH! I **hate** him!" _**CRASH!**_

Sesshoumaru, along with almost everyone in the airport, dumbly watched as the young woman, who had been shouting at the top of her lungs, promptly threw her cell phone on the pristine floor and marched off without glancing back. She muttered vehement curses under her breath about senile jerks that stranded their daughters in France for no valid reason.

He glanced at the poor, innocent iPhone. It was despondently lying in a broken heap on the ground, wondering why its owner was so cruel to it. After shaking his head at the evident waste of money, he let out a languid sigh. _That was one angry woman. _

Oh well, it wasn't his problem.

_Vbbb! Vbbb! Vbbb! _

The dog demon looked down at the vibrating contraption in his hand, taking a moment to guess who would be calling him during a mission. It certainly wouldn't be his father and he lacked an easily jealous girlfriend—thank gods. Hopefully Jaken was too busy to want to ask how to organize his boxers...

...so who could it be?

Finally, after failing to come up with a name, he allowed himself to view the caller-ID.

_Call from Inuyasha... _

He suppressed the urge to follow the psycho woman's example and throw his phone on the floor—why could he never savor peace? For the past few days, he had blissfully forgotten he was _not_ an only child....oh his misery!

To live up to his code name, the Sadist, he hoped the annoying nitwit was in the same predicament as him... "What is it, little brother?"

_"Keh! Do you know what our old man did to us?!"_ He sounded furious; Sesshoumaru imagined the hanyou's silver dog ears twitching madly atop of his head as he bellowed into his crimson Sony Ericsson.

Hmm, it wasn't scarce for the abrasive half-breed to relieve stress by shouting incessantly. Poor little hanyou...he was an embarrassment to all.

"Us? I assume you also failed your mission."

_"Fuck, it wasn't _my_ damn fault! I'm in the remotest city in all of Siberia!! Hell, I don't think this is even a city—it's not on my freakin map! By the time I got here these stupid-ass Russian crime lords were already on to me!"_

"Excuses, excuses," the dog demon sighed. "This means we lost both the Blue and Red Diamonds. No wonder Father's pissed."

_"Well, there's still three more so he can calm his ass down! It's one thing not sending the jet to pick me up, but totally another when he cuts off my account and __**strands**__ me in fucking Siberia! __**SIBERIA!!!"**_

"Did you call me solely to complain?"

_**"YES! **__At least you're in goddamn France, but _nooo_, I got stuck in the Siberian country side where it's freezing and fucking remote! Do you _know_ what remote means? As in there are no fucking people for fucking __**miles!" **_

Sesshoumaru rolled his golden honey eyes, ignoring most of his younger brother's ranting by examining his wallet. Damn, he really didn't have enough for first class. "Could you lay off the swearing?"

_**"NO!**__ I have to hitchhike to the nearest city so I can somehow get to an airport in Moscow—do you _think_ I know where the hell Moscow is from here?! I'm still praising the fucking gods that my phone's freakin working right now because all I'm seeing here are cows and chickens! How the hell can they stand the cold?! I'm an _assassin_—I shouldn't have to deal with goddamn Super Cows and Mighty Chickens!"_

"I'm certain Father intended for you to make new friends."

_**"THEN I'M GOING TO KILL OUR FATHER WITH A MACHETE!"**_

"As much as I love hearing you rant, I have better things to do. For example, I need to go purchase my plane ticket so that I can get home before you do and rub it in your face."

_**"I HATE YOU!!!"**_

And with that, the furious hanyou hung up the phone, leaving Sesshoumaru blinking in confusion. Usually it was _him_ who hung up...damn, he had actually been looking forward to it! Oh well—knowing Inuyasha, there would be other chances in the near future.

_Vbbb! Vbbb! Vbbb! _

Like right now...

**

* * *

**

This was the worst thing that had ever happened to him in his entire twenty-six years of life! Ok, maybe he was exaggerating, but when his father left him in France on a mission _he_ sent him on without enough money to pay for a first class ticket, then he had the right to complain!

He had never foreseen such a thing occurring to _him_ of all people! His family was wealthy enough to afford a private jet—no, _multiple_ private jets—and yet here he was, sitting on a continental plane, in the economy (hmph, third) class.

**"WAAA!!! WAAA!!!"**

And to top it all off, the sniveling baby in front of him was grating on his last nerves.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his golden honey eyes in annoyance, hoping to block out the incessant wailing of the infant sitting on his mother's lap in the row before his. He absolutely _hated_ being surrounded by these people! And gods damn the person in back of him who felt the need to kick his seat every so often!

He wanted peace, for fuck's sake! This was _not_ how it was supposed to be after one of his missions—it was bad enough he failed in the first place! The nerve of his father to even _think_ about torturing him like this!

However, his ire strangely dispersed when the delicious aroma of vanilla and lilies wafted into his nose. He delicately sniffed the air, wanting to inhale more of the tantalizing scent that uncannily calmed him. It was coming towards him at a steady pace, and he soon recognized the scent belonging to the 'crazy angry woman' from earlier.

What a coincidence—they were both stuck on the same plane together.

"C57...C58...C59...and C60! Here's my seat!"

The dog demon didn't bother glancing at the young woman who took the seat next to his; rather, he busied himself by looking out the window, glaring at the innocent passengers on the plane loading a few meters away. He couldn't deny that curiosity slinked its way into his mind, but, once more, he pushed it back. The last thing he desired was to get involved with a PMSing lunatic.

Again, it was a coincidence that they _both_ ended up sitting next to each other.

"Hey there!"

_Why in the world is she talking to me? _It wasn't hard to tell he was currently pissed off and didn't want to be bothered.

Seemingly not discouraged by his lack of response, or his stoic expression, the chipper woman continued in fluent Japanese, "Ugh, sometimes I hate travelling. It's too hectic; especially when you don't have enough money to afford the much more peaceful section up in first class."

That was true...but did she need to remind him that he was _not_ in first class? Since he merely desired for her to stop talking, Sesshoumaru's gelid eyes flicked towards the beaming young woman and narrowed in order to intimidate her. Even if she looked radiant when she smiled—and his attraction to her was apparent in his mind's eye—he still felt ready to kill someone.

She only smiled brighter, now satisfied that she got a reaction out of him, albeit a negative one. This handsome demon's icy glare truly had no effect on her... "Hopefully we can survive this twelve-hour flight. Oh, where are my manners? My name is—"

"Enough." He finally couldn't take anymore of this woman's blabbering! He was an _assassin_ and until he landed in Japan, he was _still_ on a mission—meaning there would be _no_ conferring with a bystander! Besides, how the hell did she know he spoke Japanese?!

She was a stalker!

A weird, insane, beaming, captivating stalker...

"Oooh, you finally talked! You have a very sexy voice, by the way—you should talk more often."

Sesshoumaru ignored her statement for the most part. "I do not wish to know your name, human. Furthermore, I wish to know _nothing_ about you—I am just a mere stranger. So keep to yourself, thank you very much." He made sure that his voice was extra cold just to scare her off...

...at least, any _normal_ human would be petrified.

Apparently, 'normal' ran away in terror from her.

"Hmm...you're a stranger, huh? Then I'll have to call you Stranger! It's very nice to meet you, Stranger! I guess my codename will be Sunshine!" She grinned broadly and it grated on his nerves.

There was too much happiness in one single person! He needed hatred and sadism, dammit!

Sesshoumaru wondered why he was being so severely punished with an _abnormal_ human woman—she wasn't scared of him! She was either stupid or mentally ill! It couldn't be difficult to understand his desire to have no human contact whatsoever!

_This is going to be a very long flight, I suppose..._

**

* * *

**

Two hours. Two hours on this flight from hell with annoyances everywhere he looked and a woman babbling her head off beside him. Two hours and he still had nine more to go...

"Hmm...what can we do now that doesn't involve getting to know each other?" The young woman tapped her chin while deeply pondering a suitable way to rid her boredom.

Sesshoumaru sighed for the millionth time that night. "I have an idea."

Her bright cinnamon eyes lit up in excitement—Stranger actually talked! "Oooh, what is it?"

"You can go to sleep and leave me in peace for nine hours."

"No way, silly Stranger! I'm sorry, but that was a _terrible_ idea..."

"Do you plan to sleep at all?"

"Nope! At least...not yet."

He didn't bother trying to figure out what she meant. What was it with him today? Did he have bad luck or something? Ever since the Assassin's Daughter came into his life, things were haywire!

Argh, he only wished Inuyasha was having an even _worse_ time than he was! That would definitely make him feel even _better_ than hanging up on him as he continued to rant about supernatural farm animals. In a way, he was right—Siberian cows and chickens had to be mutated or something to survive the intense cold... Wait—why would there be cows and chickens in a _remote_, _gelid_ country side, according to Inuyasha?

Perhaps those animals truly weren't cows or chickens...

"Sooo..." The dog demon glanced to his right, wondering what the hyperactive young woman wanted with him now. Ah, he had momentarily forgotten about her. It was true bliss...

Yet, she seemed sort of sheepish, as though she realized what a vexation she was and longed to make up for it. _Please let it be the moment she'll finally shut up... _

"Okay, I know I'm annoying you to no end, but I just _can't_ help it! Stranger, if you noticed or not, you're an easy person to talk to! At home, I have no one to occupy my time with; it gets really lonely and I have to resort to talking to myself."

"You told me something about yourself..." He sent her a half-hearted glare—yes, half-hearted, why should he care anymore if she was never going to shut up—without budging his head an inch. The assassin inwardly smirked at the look of genuine horror crossing her pretty face.

And yes, she was pretty; he didn't need to affirm himself all the time! Hmph.

"Crap! I'm so, so, _so_ sorry! I'm completely out of it today! First my father strands me in France with barely enough money to buy a ticket and then I start losing my mind! _-gasp-_ I told you another personal thing! I'm really bad at this! I get carried away talking to myself!"

Hmm, he steadily agreed—she _did_ talk to herself immensely because in the two hours that they had been together, he had not responded to anything she said, much less uttered a word... Well, except to ask if she was going to shut up and sleep. Sesshoumaru at this point, however, hardly cared.

When they landed in Japan, he'd never have to see this social chatter-box again.

"Anyway..." The woman who had dubbed herself 'Sunshine' virtually represented the sun when she grinned, or so he unconsciously thought. "I respect the fact that you don't want to get to know me, but I think we should do something with our time. All you're doing is staring off into space _attempting_ to ignore me and I'm just incredibly bored."

"Then why don't you go to sleep? By the time you wake up, the plane would have already landed." _And I'll be out of your way before you know it. _

"If you really want me to go to sleep, then you might have to drug me."

He wished he had sleeping pills on him... "Hn." Sesshoumaru had tried; he'd give himself that much credit. After a while, he plainly gave up—canine curiosity was killing him inside and obviously this woman was not going to submit to his demand of silence. "What do you suggest we do, since you're so energetic?"

She beamed brightly again, reiterating what he had stated. "Let's play a card game!"

"A card game?" He never played cards before... Duh, he had no time for silly human games!

"Yup, yup! Ok, I'll choose which one..." She paused for a few seconds as he inwardly berated himself for once again admiring her adorable expressions. "I know! We're going to play something simple! It's really easy, trust me!"

Sesshoumaru only raised one of his thin, dark eye brows. After this, he was attending therapy.

**

* * *

**

She was the devil in disguise; no doubt about it. His golden honey eyes glanced at her serious expression, with her lips drawn in tight and laughing cinnamon for once devoid of any emotion. He knew she was trying to deceive him...she would not win so easily. But he was forced to acknowledge her cleverness.

They were locked in a battle of wills, a battle of strategy, a battle of...

"Do you have any nines?"

...Go Fish?

Sunshine gazed up at him instead of the four cards she had in her hand, appearing as though she might devour his soul for asking her such a question. And suddenly, just to add to his mental torture, Sesshoumaru saw another image of the Assassin's Daughter flash before his eyes, and he pondered reasons why he was seeing her wherever his eyes landed.

Was he already obsessed?

For the last time, this lunatic woman, who came up with the strangest card games ever, had absolutely _nothing_ to do with his rival assassin!

They. Were. Not. The. Same!

Anyway...

"Go fish, Stranger!"

He cursed under his breath—he had hoped to finally make a pair. How was it that she already had two pairs and he had none?! His clawed hand drifted towards the stack of cards in the center of a makeshift table between them, and he hesitantly chose one from the thick pile.

A five.

Dammit—it was another useless card! Now he had eight in his hand!

She shrugged at his apparent disgruntlement and smiled. "My turn! Do you have any queens?"

Sesshoumaru glared at the young woman sinisterly, begrudgingly handing over the card. It took all his self-control to not take a knife and stab her repeatedly when she squealed at having three pairs in her pile.

Yes, he was a naturally violent, sadistic person...

But this was ridiculous! There was no possible explanation as to why he was losing so badly! It was their third round of playing this stupid, puerile game and he had yet to win any of them. He understood the concept of the game—the person with the most pairs at the end won. Heck, he even _memorized_ which cards she asked for in case he needed them later!

Nothing worked.

Now she only had three cards in her hand...

...he shouldn't need to mention how many he had.

Sesshoumaru was actually losing.

Obviously, he hated 'Go Fish'.

It was only fifteen minutes later, right before the dog demon was about to make an appointment with a therapist, that the French pilot of the plane came on the loud speaker. He listened intently, instantly translating the man's words into his native tongue in his mind, if only to be distracted from his sudden rage.

Meanwhile, Sunshine threw herself a little party in her seat at having eight pairs—that was, eight pairs more than Stranger...

"Good evening, passengers. The time is 10:26 PM and we will be landing in Moscow, Russia in approximately ten minutes. Please fasten your seat belts once the red light flashes." The news confused Sesshoumaru—why was the plane landing in Moscow?!

_Don't tell me I purchased the wrong ticket..._ No, he was certain he did! Unless that stupid desk lady had messed it up! Grr, he wasn't asking for too much when he said he just wanted to go to Japan!

But the pilot continued tormenting him.

"Due to the sudden change in weather, all flights for tonight to Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea have been cancelled and will not resume until 8:00 AM tomorrow morning. Free lodging is available at the Novotel Moscow Hotel in the airport—however, it is first come, first serve. My apologies for any inconveniences and thank you for travelling with Air France."

Sesshoumaru abruptly stopped in the middle of picking up another card from the decreasing pile in front of him, his eyes wide and lips parted in a small gape. He couldn't believe what he had just heard—his flight was cancelled? Another flight wasn't going to be available until tomorrow at eight?

What?!

"Hmm, it happened earlier than I initially thought... Oh well, no worries, right, Stranger?" He averted his blank gaze to land on the ever so optimistic brunette, and he merely stared at her in disbelief.

_What is she alluding to?_ "You mean to tell me you knew about this?" And he hadn't?!

She blinked, wondering if there was a right or wrong answer with his deadly tone of voice. "Um...well, I checked the weather reports in East Asia before I came here, and I saw that a typhoon was recurving from the Pacific. I figured it'd be nearing Japan and therefore change the wind patterns. It'd be impossible for planes to keep on course, so I reserved my room ahead of time in Moscow."

There was no way she could've known they'd be landing in Moscow of all places! And who the hell checked weather reports and analyzed typhoon patterns before getting on a plane?!

His mind was reeling. If there was one thing he hated, it was when things didn't go according to plan—right now, he was one pissed off dog demon! This was all an outrage!

Since he still seemed to be paralyzed, the young woman blinked her bright cinnamon eyes inquisitively. "I thought almost everyone knew about the typhoon. Don't you watch the news?"

"..." He never had time to watch the news...

"Everything's going to be all right—you'll see! And it'd be real funny if we end up sitting next to each other again tomorrow!" She grinned and picked up a card from the pile, the last card from the pile.

_Shit..._ The dog demon had failed yet another mission—finally winning against Sunshine in Go Fish.

"Oooh, I just won another round of Go Fish! Yay! Wanna play again, Stranger?"

Sesshoumaru, right then and there, began to plan his father's very painful death.

* * *

**A/N: YES! I'm putting off homework in order to update! It feels great! :-D Me don't know what to say because me gotsta go work on chapter 40 of Oh My Gods! I'm almost done with it for those of you who read it! **

Next chapter:** Sesshoumaru's day keeps getting worse and worse...or is it gradually getting better? Hmm...**

**Sooo...who is this Sunshine woman? But then, who is the Assassin's Daughter? Why is Sesshoumaru attracted to two women? Is he obsessed with the Assassin's Daughter? Where's Rin? Why is Inuyasha in Siberia? Me don't know! :-D**

**THANKS FOR SHOWING SUPPORT! ENCOURAGE ME AGAIN! REVIEW! **


	3. Lodging in Moscow

**A/N: KONNICHIWA!!! :-D **

Warning:** Yeah yeah, everyone can be OOC and I mean in no way to offend any Russian people! Or French people! Or...whatever else! :-D **

**MUCH LOVE! ENJOY THE CHAPPIE!**

* * *

**Assassin's Daughter 3**

* * *

"Sorry, there no room for you."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and pleaded for patience. Usually he could last over an hour without losing his cool, but lately his maximum time was only five minutes. To fuel his anger, he counted off all the mishaps of the past two days.

First and foremost, he failed his mission. It was completely _unacceptable_ in his family.

Second, he was forced to pay for repairs on his rented car. The French dealer believed his lie about a mysterious gang fight he had no part in—ahem, sure—though he was still held liable for any damages.

Third, his father was pissed at him and denied sending the jet to pick him up, stranding him in a foreign country with next to no money. Hmph, he was basically disowned for a day...

Fourth, he had actually flown on the economy class only to end up sitting beside a chatter box and having his flight cancelled. His patience had worn extremely thin and he was _still_ no where near Japan!

And now, there were no more available rooms in the hotel offering 'free lodging' in Moscow. His pockets were literally empty—it was impossible to pay for another hotel, and he was definitely not going to debase himself by sleeping in the airport's waiting room like the rest of the people whose flights were cancelled.

Grr! Damn his double life!

This Russian with horrible English was testing the limits of his self-control. What did it take for him to just get a nice little room with a comfy bed to at least _rest_ on? Sure, he hardly needed sleep, but after all his stress it was gladly welcomed!

Ugh, what now? Should he continue arguing or proudly 'sleep' in the waiting room for the rest of the night?

Nope, Sesshoumaru was definitely staying.

"Are you certain there are no other rooms? Not even if I decide to pay for it?" Although he only had enough to buy him some McDonalds for breakfast...

The hawk demon manager of the Novotel hotel grunted in annoyance, narrowing his beady black eyes at this persistent dog. Now he knew that all dog demons were naturally stubborn. "There no room for you! No room! Zero room! Go back to plane!" He gritted his teeth and grumbled in fluent Russian, "Pedik blyadischa huesos..."

"He just called you a gay whore cocksucker, Stranger!"

The dog demon turned around to see little Miss Sunshine walking towards him with an ever present chipper smile adorning her face. He was about to tell her that she might as well go back to the airport, yet he remembered she was the _clever_ lunatic woman who had reserved her room ahead of time. That put him in an even sourer mood.

And since when did she speak Russian?!

"How do I tell him to go to hell?" It would make him feel better...

She leaned in so the hotel manager wouldn't be able to hear and whispered as though she was relating top secret information, "Sosi moi hui, suka."

Sesshoumaru furrowed his eye brows, but shrugged and repeated her words in rusty Russian—Inuyasha was the Russian expert, hence why _he_ was in Siberia and not him. But he achieved his desired effect, smirking as the manager's pudgy cheeks flared red in fury, while his beady black eyes threatened to pop from their sockets.

Ah, the joy of pissing someone off!

After giggling at Stranger's method of attaining revenge, the cinnamon-eyed woman smiled politely at the disgruntled hawk demon glaring daggers at the smug demon standing beside her. "Dobryy vecher! Nomer 212, pozhaluysta."

It still amazed the assassin how fluently she spoke the foreign language that seemed like gibberish to him... But the manager only scoffed, eyeing Sesshoumaru carefully, before he turned his back to retrieve the woman's room key. He handed it to her mutely without taking his eyes off of him.

Sunshine nodded in thanks and then faced her companion. "Have you gotten your room key yet?"

"Supposedly, there are no more rooms available."

"What?! I can't believe it! Where are you going to sleep, then?"

It surprised him how genuinely concerned she sounded for him. Why should she care if he didn't have a room to sleep in? He was a demon—sleep was a leisure activity for him.

"In the airport, obviously."

"No way! I can't let you do that when I have a big enough room!" She finally realized what she was proposing to a complete stranger, and her cheeks tinged pink.

All the while, Sesshoumaru couldn't help mulling over her innocence...

Sunshine meekly cleared her throat, noticing how intensely she was being scrutinized. "I mean, my bed is queen-sized, but I swear we can both fit! I-I don't mind sharing my room with you...and if you're uncomfortable with it, I can always sleep on the floor..."

"You would sleep on the floor when _you're_ the one who reserved the room?" He raised an eye brow incredulously.

"Umm...yeah...?"

Sesshoumaru could hardly believe the antics of this woman. Was she truly so kind and selfless? Or was she trying to lure him into some trap in order to stab him to death in his sleep? Yes, assassins were usually this solicitous.

While looking into her large, innocent cinnamon eyes seeming to beg him to say yes, he quickly made a decision. She wasn't the killer type—unlike him—so he might as well give up _trying_ to resist her offer. Besides, as long as they continued to play this 'stranger' game, his identity was safe and it was impossible to trace him once in Japan.

Surviving a night with the lunatic woman shouldn't be hard, right?

"Very well. Lead the way...'Sunshine'."

She grinned and happily nodded while taking a hold of his hand, much to his surprise, as she practically skipped along the path to the elevators. And shockingly, he didn't tear his hand away from hers...he actually _enjoyed_ the feel of her soft, warm hand clasped in his. The young woman soon realized this and began merrily swinging their joint arms in tune with her bouncing steps.

_She is very childish...and yet, it doesn't bother me._ Amusement curved his lips into a tiny smile missed by the aforementioned woman.

"Oh, and by the way..." She abruptly stopped in mid-step, blinking up at him curiously. He briefly closed his eyes and hoped he wasn't making a grave mistake... "You won't have to sleep on the floor."

**

* * *

**

Ok...so far it wasn't too bad.

The bed was comfy at least...the room might've been small, but it was clean and insect free. Gods, he didn't even _want_ to remember that time his father sent him on a mission in Sri Lanka. He had never seen cockroaches so huge in his entire life! They were as long as his finger!

Either way, the story ended with him shooting them all back to hell.

His excuse was target practice—he was 'definitely' _not_ afraid of cockroaches.

Sesshoumaru sighed at the dreaded memories and rolled onto his back on the bed he was lying on. He felt extremely out of place in this small room. Usually he slept on luxurious beds in five star hotels, which he normally afforded...excluding his Sri Lanka mission since he had been forced into a hut.

He sorely missed his bed back in Japan because it was king-sized and actually accommodated him—he was really tall!

On the bright-side, at least Sunshine hadn't lied about the queen-sized bed. It would have been worse sharing a twin-sized one...

Thinking about the crazy woman, she was currently getting ready for the night...in the bathroom. Hearing the shower turn off, he deduced that she'd be out soon enough and he'd be free to fall asleep without any disturbances.

Unless she snored...or moved around too much...or talked in her sleep...or even sleepwalked...

To sum it all up—he was a light sleeper.

_I wouldn't be surprised if she talked in her sleep._ Sesshoumaru smirked while letting his eyes drift close. _It makes sense given the way she rambles on and on for eternity._

The door to the small bathroom finally creaked open—perhaps he can actually get some rest now! Hmm...now a weird thought popped in his mind: did Sunshine sleep in Care Bear pajamas? Sesshoumaru couldn't comprehend why he even cared so much to even wonder what she slept in...

That was, only if it wasn't a crimson corset top and a pleated skirt...

No! No more Assassin's Daughter! She. Was. No. Where. Near. Him!

Soon enough, however, his curiosity took over—damn his canine heritage—and he lifted one of his eye lids just to catch a glimpse of her. And then the other eye bolted open in pursuit. His mind completely blanked and his inner demon's desires consumed him...

After that, his body began to move on its own accord...

"Crap! I'm such an idiot! How could I have taken a shower without bringing my clothes in with me to the bathroom?! I'm telling you, Stranger, I'm as airheaded as—" She was cut off with a gasp when a masculine body crushed her form against his, shoving her against the nearest wall as his large hands firmly gripped her slim waist.

Her unblinking cinnamon eyes stared up at her captor's smoldering golden honey irises that seemed to penetrate her defenses and leave her completely bare. His eyes watched the way water droplets slowly dripped down her neck and into the valley between her breasts, modestly covered by the white towel she had hastily wrapped around her wet form. Without warning, his clawed finger traced the flush of her cheeks, explored the curve of her throat, and stopped before the swell of her bosom.

If she had known her 'attire' would elicit this kind of reaction from Stranger, then she would have at least made sure her towel was bound more tightly!

"You're very bold—first you invite a stranger to share your room and then you prance around in a towel." His smooth voice was seductively husky and it sent pleasurable shivers down her spine. She knew he was trying to purposely arouse her! "If you're not careful, Sunshine, that stranger might take advantage of you."

"B-But I just f-forgot my...my clothes! I didn't mean to—" The clawed finger that had traced the curvy shape of her figure settled on her soft lips, halting her speech. Her cheeks instantly flushed a brighter red.

"One mistake," they were pressed so closely together that she could feel the rumble in his chest when he spoke so deeply, causing her to gently bite her bottom lip in order to suppress a moan, "easily leads to another. Usually...it's one more severe."

The young woman with wide cinnamon eyes deduced his hidden meaning. Of course, he first had the chance to loosen her towel to get his message across... She briefly mused how it had not fallen off with the heat of his lithe body to begin with.

"What? Are you saying you're going to rape me?" She chuckled, albeit nervously, because it was improbable that he would do anything of the sort. It just didn't fit his stoic profile!

Right?

Then again...the way he lowered his head so his warm breath tingled the sensitive flesh below her ear...just the overall way he was seducing her didn't fit him either...

His lips then curved into a rather chilling smirk...the smirk of a true sadist enjoying the misery and torture of others. "Every one has an inner demon. Are you certain you can trust me? I could be a rapist waiting for the right moment to pounce on you."

"You could be, but you're not." She glanced to her left side. What if she made a mad dash for the bathroom...?

"Really, now?" Sesshoumaru's expression finally lived up to his callous name and he moved his roaming hand to fist against the wall right above the young woman's head. She had no means of escape—he made sure of it. "You barely know me and yet you continue to assume I am nothing less than a gentleman."

Sunshine tsked as her hands, which had been pinned to her sides, slowly slid up his bare, chiseled chest, memorizing each crease of muscle they encountered. "Perhaps it's because you don't have the ability to read people, Stranger."

"Explain yourself," he said, attempting to ignore the warm slender hands discovering new territory on his body.

At first, he had been in control with his captive being too shy and innocent to shove him away. But now, she was gradually regaining her stance as the woman who held his attention, as _well_ as his attraction. Damn, at this rate she was going to drive him insane!

Even if he just met her—gods, her sweet scent was an addictive drug to his senses and the feel of her feminine body, complete with sensual curves, was uncoiling the leash around his self-control! As nice as it sounded, it was dangerous for him to be feeling this way...it was dangerous to let _anyone_ have this sort of control over him!

He wanted her..._badly_. She chirped louder than birds and was more childish than a five year old, but he wanted _her_. And dammit, he would not rest until he had her.

He also knew...that she was taking advantage of the power she possessed over him. She was a smart little vixen, acknowledging the new game between them and turning the tables in her favor.

Sesshoumaru was starting to like this bold and wily Sunshine...

"Behind your stoic mask lies a demon who will never lay a hand on me to do harm—I can see it in your eyes that you wouldn't waste your time raping defenseless women. Why would you? Any woman in her right mind would go out of her way to sate your desires."

Gods, right at that moment, the Assassin's Daughter took the young woman's place beneath him, issuing him another challenge with her devious dark eyes. The raging fire of his attraction morphed into an explosion of lust, and it was extremely difficult to continue the role of a stoic assassin. A frustrated growl rumbled his throat.

This was why assassins were forbidden to interact with people during their missions!

"Are you one of those women?" He decided to play along, if only to distract himself. At this point, he was going to throw her over the bed and go..._wild_...

"Maybe." A playful smile curved her lips, and her hands finally found their way into his hair, twirling the silk strands between her fingers.

"I see..." Sesshoumaru couldn't help but press closer to her, growling at not being able to feel her bare skin flush against him because of the damn towel in his way. "I don't think you're so defenseless."

Her playful smile turned into a devilish smirk. "Good, because I'm not."

"Will you be a challenge for me, then?" _Like the Assassin's Daughter..._

Her cinnamon eyes gleamed dangerously, reminding him of a fierce lioness ready to begin a chase for her prey. He actually _liked_ the sound of being chased... "Now you're on track."

"Watch yourself, my sweet, or I'll have to rape you to get what I want."

The young woman leaned upwards so that her supple, pink lips were only a hairsbreadth away from his. "Trust me...it wouldn't be rape."

Her concession was gasoline igniting the fire of his lust, and before she knew it, he claimed her lips with his own in a bruising, passionate kiss of dominion. She arched her back as a moan of pure pleasure escaped her, drawing out a growl of similar cause from the stranger who overpowered her senses. He nibbled her bottom lip repeatedly in a silent plea, and she understood the hint, parting her lips for him to enter and explore.

As their passion increased ten fold, the couple soon migrated to the bed, each of them trying to subjugate the other. Sesshoumaru was entirely lost behind a red wall erected by lust and passion to realize that he was _not_ supposed to be kissing the life out of this woman, or that if his father ever caught word of this occurrence, then he would do _much_ worse than disown him for a day.

But did he care at the moment?

No.

He wanted to _feel_ her burning, soft skin rubbing against him; he wanted to _taste_ the sweetness of her core—dammit! His libido had never been so powerful before! And inwardly, he knew that his uncanny attraction for this woman would not easily be sated or even leave him...

After tonight, he would somehow find her again in Japan.

The urge to kiss her and care for her and protect her, the need to pleasure her and guard her and provide for her was not part of his regular one-night stand routine. His inner demon was nearly overriding him to take her as his mate! It had _never_ done anything of the sort! Therefore...this young woman, who was just as wanton as he, truly had a special hold over him.

For as long as he lived, Sunshine was not going anywhere.

Sesshoumaru would make sure of it.

And one day, he will solve the mystery of why he kept seeing the Assassin's Daughter every time he laid eyes upon her.

But for now, he was going to enjoy—

_Vbb! Vbbb! Vbb! Vbbb! _

Dammit!

Sesshoumaru stopped himself from completely unfolding Sunshine's towel—yes, miraculously, it had not fallen off yet. She stared up at him with dazed, smiling cinnamon eyes since she noted his frustration, though she made no move to initiate another heated kiss. Oh well, his phone would stop vibrating soon, so back to—

_Vbb!! Vbbb!! VBBBB!!!_

"Let the person who is insane enough to call me at this hour die already," he snapped, supporting himself on top of Sunshine with his forearms.

She merely giggled and alas decided to secure her towel. "Go answer it. We've had enough fun for tonight."

_Fun for you but vital for me._ He glared daggers at his sleek BlackBerry, wishing that he had not spared it from being crushed into tiny pieces earlier. "Grr, fine you piece of shit from hell! When we get home, I'm lighting you on fire!" And he turned to also glare at the now laughing hysterically woman still lying on his...well, _their_ bed. "Don't move!"

"_-giggle-_ Fine! But you better hurry, Stranger, or you'll miss your chance to curse the caller out!" Her declaration had only brought on another fit of laughter, one in which she actually rolled off the bed... _Thud!_ "Ow! I'm ok!"

Sesshoumaru shook his head and finally picked up his phone. He read the caller-ID and had to withhold the urge to flush the contraption down the toilet. "What the fuck do you want at fucking three in the fucking morning, Inu-fucking-yasha?!"

_"Sheesh! Put your pants back on, bastard! Did I just stop you from getting laid or what?!"_

Technically...it was true... The dog demon glanced at Sunshine from the corner of his eyes and saw her make a move towards the bathroom, her sleeping attire suddenly in hand. He growled at her, and she comically stood frozen still. "What do you want, _little_ brother?"

_"Weeell...guess where I'm at right now."_

"What the hell kind of question is that?!" This was why he had never wanted a younger brother! All the half-breed did was annoy the shit out of him! It would've been a different story if he consented to becoming his slave, but...

_"Just guess, dammit! The faster you do, the sooner you get to hang up!"_

Ah, he could do that right now... _"And don't you dare hang up now or I'll be calling you every five minutes until you're next flight!" _

"How do you know I'm not in Japan?"

_"I looked up your flight schedule—you ain't gettin' nowhere near there until tomorrow afternoon. Ok, no more questions! Guess!"_

The dog demon for once decided to comply, if only to get back to his previous doings—wait, where the hell did Sunshine go?! He looked around the room only to find her missing and...dammit! She was changing in the bathroom when he told her not to move! The nerve of her!

As if he didn't know that meant he wasn't getting lucky tonight!

And it was all Inuyasha's fault...

"Listen half-breed, I am _not_ in the mood—"

_"GUESS ALREADY YOU STUPID BASTARD!!"_

Fine goddammit! "You're procreating with Super Cows and Mighty Chickens in Siberia."

_"..."_

"There, I guessed. Now leave me alone."

_"You fucking asshole—you hardly tried! But I'm tired of you so I'm just gonna say it: I'm in Japan." _

Pause.

Extended pause.

Pause that lasted for minutes and minutes.

How in the fucking hell was his brother, who had been in a remote area in Siberia some hours ago, magically end up in Japan?! How did _Inuyasha_ get to Japan before _he_ did?! Now he couldn't goad about arriving there first!

_"You must be asking yourself how I accomplished it; but you see I have something called a wife. Yeah, you know, the woman I share my house with. Anyway, Dad sent her on a mission to—"_

"Since when did father start sending your miko on missions? And you allowed this?" He found it surprising that his brother, an overprotective husband, would let his wife roam the world..._without_ him tagging along.

_"Keh! Our old man threatened me to let her go and Kagome supported him. Geez, now I know how Miroku feels when Sango threatens to chop his balls off... Anyway, she was dealing with some debtors in Ireland, and I called her to come pick me up. Sooo...now I'm in Japan. In. Your. Face." _

Oh, that half-breed was going to kiss the ground when he arrived! "How was your jet able to get to Japan when my flight was cancelled due to an oncoming typhoon?"

_"We flew around it while it was still away from Japan, duh."_

Great, his brother was a smart-ass. This was actually one of the few moments in his life in which he wished he had a wife... "Is this all you have to say to me at three in the morning?" His flight was at eight, for goodness sake!

_"Hmm...yeah, pretty much. Oh, and 'InuTaishou-sama', as the stupid fart Jaken told me to call Dad, is gonna lecture us when you get back. Be prepared."_

_Click. _

Crap, why was Inuyasha the first one to hang up lately?! Sesshoumaru had been looking forward to it yet again! And not only was his father still pissed, but he was going to receive a lecture from him..._not_ good. It wasn't something he wanted to deal with once he returned from such a grueling trip.

He sighed and refrained from smashing his phone...again. His mood was deteriorated—hell, not even the Assassin's Daughter called back his momentum. At long last, Sunshine emerged from the bathroom decked in her...light orange and yellow Winnie the Pooh pajamas.

Well, his initial guess had been Care Bears. He wasn't totally wrong, though—they were both bears, right?

"Sooo...how did it go? You look...pooped." She suddenly beamed as though a marvelous idea flew into her head. "I know! Why don't I give you a massage?"

"No thank you." Sesshoumaru had the will to do nothing but sleep. "Come, we have to wake up in three hours and you haven't slept at all."

The cinnamon-eyed woman pouted like a three-year old. "Sunshine not gonna sleep 'til Stranger tells Sunshine what wrong."

The corner of his lips upturned. There was no need to involve her in his life's troubles. She was carefree and innocent—he was jaded and controlled by his father's will. He had no freedom, but he did have one responsibility: assassination.

When someone wronged his family, it was his and Inuyasha's duty to eradicate the perpetrator.

It was an unbroken tradition passed from generation to generation. His mode of life forced him to live in solitude and always fear what could happen if he ever allowed himself to believe that he was able to escape his father's watchful eye.

Never would he have a say in what occurred to him—he even expected his father to arrange his marriage and dictate the precise moment when he should _bed_ his wife.

...not a very comforting thought for his future...

Hell, but his brother's marriage had been arranged...when he was _eighteen_. During their six years together, he and his wife fortunately managed to fall in love. Yet, they were forbidden to mate or have children.

_Ever._

It was depressing, and people still questioned why he was so reticent. How could he not be withdrawn when he possessed no rights as the son of a billionaire portraying an invincible god? To be forced to acknowledge the prison he lived in and the shackles that bound him would destroy anyone's unique personality.

He respected his father—he _really_ did.

But there was a limit to the amount of power any person could authorize.

Sesshoumaru could not tell Sunshine of the burden he carried and had been carrying for years. She could never know the life he led or the blood on his hands. He would _never_ regret his actions, however—he was well-trained and had no use for such emotions. Yet, he wished to spare her his inner pain.

The pain he had yet to accept as his own.

"It's nothing; don't lose sleep over it."

The young woman sighed and took a seat beside the taciturn dog demon on the bed, all the while staring down at her slender hands with gloomy eyes unbefitting of her. Her companion glanced at her in confusion—he could smell her sorrow, but of what?

"I...I know you have some kind of burden to bear, one larger than others. And I know it's what shaped you into the person you are today. To outsiders, you come across as this powerful demon who's unfeeling just as he is uncaring. No one would dare wrong you, or even speak to you. So, you have led yourself to believe you are this malevolent being feared by all. That's not the truth."

She was speaking nonsense...and yet, her words were accurate.

But how could she ever empathized or even _try_ to comprehend him?! As if she knew what he went through every single day of his life! As if she knew the trials and tribulations he faced throughout his adolescence!

He recalled all the times as a young teen when he tried to accept, tried to _understand_ what his family was truly known for—_no_ one else would have lived through it!

How could a mere human who had not known him for more than twenty-four hours claim to be so wise and see the actual 'truth'? What was this damn truth?! And he needed to know how she was able to pinpoint his every thought and self-doubt...

...how she unerringly portrayed _him_.

Sesshoumaru cruelly smirked while masking the real toll this conversation was taking on him. "Once again you are assuming to know me when it's the complete opposite. I will assume then that you have lived a life being pampered by your loving parents since you're so optimistic and trusting."

"Ha, I wish," she bitterly spat in return, "and like I said before, Stranger, I have the ability to read people and see the good in them. It's not my fault you're a pessimist—but I know you're not a bad person."

"And what if I told you I was a murderer? Would I continue to not be a bad person?" Hmph, murderer. It was close to the truth—assassin was just a more professional term.

"I can care less if you were the one who began World War II—to me, you _are_ a good person. Being forced to do something and accepting it is different than willingly doing it for personal gain. Trust me, I speak from experience."

There it was, that underlying sorrow in her scent. He could only wonder what kind of 'experience' she spoke from...

"Hn. And here I thought you were somewhat intelligent..." Sesshoumaru turned his head to face her, his cold golden honey eyes bearing intensely into her wide cinnamon ones. "Do you think I care about what you so foolishly believe? Do you think I need to hear someone telling me that I am not a bad person?"

She was taken aback by the finely sharpened ice in his tone of voice. "I-I...I just—"

"Cease your speeches of false wisdom. I trust no one but myself—you'll do good to remember that, Sunshine."

And their conversation officially ended with the finality in his voice shocking Sunshine into silence. In the end, she only nodded in defeat and retreated to her side of the bed. Wrapping herself in the extra blanket she had ordered and shifting onto her right side, the young woman settled her gaze on her rolling luggage bag, which was tightly concealed and impenetrable with a lock.

She blinked back any moisture gathering in her eyes and attempted to sleep. But she couldn't. Not with what was inside that bag. The damnable object reminding her of her own duty to her family.

Unbeknownst to her, Sesshoumaru was doing the same thing on his side of the bed, though he was glaring at his suitcase...the one containing his 'illegal weapons'.

"Kill by discipline, honor, and loyalty...live by no bounds and no love...profit by success."

Sesshoumaru heard the soft whisper uttered by the dark-haired woman beside him, and his eyes grew wide. She had just stated the creed of assassins—kill, live, and profit. But, there was no possible way that she was...she couldn't be!

No.

He was just paranoid; he was treading on dangerous territory by interacting with her in the first place. His fear at the moment was Sunshine finding out his true identity and he was already jumping to conclusions that she was on to him.

And if she _was_ an assassin—which she wasn't—he would've noticed.

Perhaps what she mumbled was merely something pertaining to pop culture. One could find anything on the internet nowadays—there was bound to be 'top secret' information on assassins somewhere in the world. Her knowing the creed was a mere coincidence.

Even so, his thoughts never comforted him.

As a result, Sesshoumaru and Sunshine were both still awake when the alarm rang at six in the morning sharp.

* * *

**A/N: WOOT! END! Me have to do homework...again...and study for tests... I want a hotdog...**

Russian lesson:** I'm not Russian and am not a Russian expert so correct me if I'm wrong! But what I wanted to convey was this: When Sesshoumaru asks Sunshine how to say go to hell in Russian, she actually makes him say**--"Suck my dick, bitch." **LOL! **

**And when she's getting her room key, she says, "**Good evening! Number 212, please."

Next chapter:** Sesshoumaru finally gets back to Japan...InuTaishou has a surprise for him...**

**Sooo...when is Sesshoumaru getting engaged? What is InuTaishou's surprise for him? When the heck did Inuyasha get married? Who's the bad guy in this story and where is he? When's the lemon coming in? What is Sunshine's true identity? **

**Weeell...you'll officially know by chapter five if you haven't already guessed...**

**REVIEW! THE PENGUINS IN MY YARD ARE CRYING BECAUSE OF YOU! :-D**

**Thanks for the reviews, my faithful readers! I didn't reply this time because I REALLY have to go do homework--no putting if off! Busy, busy week! :-D LOVEZ!**


	4. Death Race

**A/N: ACK!!!! SATs TOMORROW!!! Anyway...ME BACK IN THE SAME WEEK! :-D **

**And this early update is thanks to **Beautiful-Rin**, who wanted me to update again before she devoted herself to studying for finals! GOOD LUCK! I'm not in college yet, but my sis is and she might be in France, but she definitely went insane during midterms... That's why Supernatural was created, though! :-D**

Black-Sun-567:** Thanks for the review! Oh my gods, have you read most of the Inuyasha fanfictions out there? They're all the same! And maybe I write about nonoriginal ideas, but I hope my style of writing isn't bland. BLEH! It's time to write about assassins actually doing what assassins do--kill people! :-D "There will be romance...and there will be blood" (last statement is from one of the Saw movies) GRACIAS AGAIN!**

**Well peeps, I'm glad you liked chater three! Here's number four! **

**ENJOY THE CHAPPIE!**

* * *

**Assassin's Daughter 4**

* * *

Morning came and passed for Sesshoumaru. He skipped breakfast all together and merely arrived at the boarding station early. Not surprisngly, he had not spoken a word to Sunshine since their disagreement last night—and strangely, she had not tried to start a conversation with him. For once, she had kept to herself.

If he dared to admit it, he felt guilty. He shouldn't have been so harsh when she was just trying to be a friend to him—grr! This was why humans were such dangerous creatures; their emotions were...were contagious! It wasn't as if he _needed_ friends, but...having someone be concerned over him once in a while, or even empathize, wasn't an unspeakable notion.

Oh well, maybe it would do him good to just let go.

Either way, the dog demon had boarded his plane and finally arrived in Japan with next to no trouble. Fortunately, he had ended up sitting next to a businessman too busy typing away on his laptop to care about anything else, so silence accompanied him throughout the journey. However, he couldn't deny that he missed Sunshine's endless chatter...

_Dammit, I have to stop thinking of her! It's dangerous for me to exhibit any type of concern for a human not involved in my family's affairs._ Sesshoumaru's mask of indifference remained in place, but the beast within him threatened to break loose. It wanted to inhale the sweet scent of the woman who overtook his senses, yet of course she was no where in sight.

It was better that way. His inner demon would have to cope.

"Yoo-hoo! Moron! Your wonderful, intelligent and handsome brother is over here!"

He had to eradicate Inuyasha sometime soon... To hell with sparing his wife the grief! Ha, she'd probably throw a huge celebration afterwards! Yup, his brother was _that_ annoying.

"Half-breed, must you embarrass yourself everywhere we go?" Sesshoumaru asked with a quirked brow while rolling his suitcase towards the rambunctious hanyou nearly causing a scene at the waiting deck.

He was dismayed when the security guards refrained from coming over to settle the hanyou down since they noticed him striding over. They could have arrested Inuyasha if they had wanted...no one would mind.

Inuyasha crossed him arms and blew a raspberry. "Keh! You embarrass me with your face!"

"That was a horrible comeback. The only way I can embarrass you with my face is by showing others just how ugly you are compared to my magnificence."

"Shut the hell up, pretty boy!" The silver-haired hanyou then smirked and threw a pair of keys at his brother, who easily caught it with his free hand. "I promise I didn't dent your car..._too_ much."

"If you did, you're dead." Sesshoumaru narrowed his golden honey eyes and began to walk to the busy airport's entrance/exit. Inuyasha shrugged and followed after him; he supposed he was lucky that his brother didn't decide to shoot him as stress relief.

After the two brothers made it to the parking lot in one piece, a young woman bumped in Sesshoumaru, but was saved from falling to the ground by an arm that wrapped around her waist. She blinked her cinnamon eyes and glanced up at her savior, only to see a pair of familiar honey eyes gazing intently at her face. Her cheeks flushed at their close proximity.

It seemed as though time stopped—neither broke away from their trance until someone cleared his throat.

"Look, bastard, 'Inu-freakin-Taishou-sama' demands our presence at the mansion and I refuse to get yelled at again for being late just because of you!" Inuyasha crossed his arms once more in annoyance, glowering at the scene in front of him.

_For the love of—!_ What the hell was going on?! Sesshoumaru held this random woman in his arms as if they were long time lovers, and _suddenly_, it was like they were going to make-out! Not only was it _forbidden_, but it was wasting his time! He had places to be, dammit!

Obviously, his brother hardly cared.

"This is a pure coincidence, Sunshine." Sesshoumaru finally let go of his hold on her, and he watched her cheeks glow a brighter red before she took a tentative step back.

He at first wondered why she refused to meet his gaze again, but then caught sight of two...what he guessed were bodyguards dressed in black suits and matching sunglasses standing a few meters behind her, each observing the trio unwaveringly.

Ah, _now_ he knew why she was acting as if she didn't know him...

"Forgive me; I should've watched where I was going, _stranger_. If you'll excuse me..." He stepped to the side, allowing her to pass, and she nodded in thanks. Her two 'bodyguards' trailed after her, both casting Sesshoumaru a passing glance as he returned the favor with his ever present cool.

Inuyasha scoffed and rolled his eyes, coming to stand beside the elder dog demon. The whole 'chance meeting' was strange enough already and his head was about to burst with confusion. "What the hell is she—the prime minister's daughter? Not even _I_ have bodyguards."

"You don't need them, imbecile, unless you've finally recognized your pitifulness," Sesshoumaru said as though he hadn't recently bumped into the woman who had plagued his mind since last night.

Actually...he couldn't deny the slight acceleration of his heart beat when he first laid eyes on her. And, oddly, he had hoped she wasn't angered by his apathy the night before—since when did he ever care about upsetting people?! By shoving his gun in people's faces he was upsetting them, right?! Heh, no one was the same as Sunshine, though.

GRR! Sesshoumaru was beginning to let go of the notion of ever meeting her again and this stupid collision jumbled his collected mind! Organizing his thoughts back in perfect order would be hell!

Destiny loved to play tricks on him and have him run around in circles...

Meanwhile, Inuyasha didn't think he was _that_ pitiful... After all, he survived _two_ weeks in Siberia. "Do me a favor and shut the fuck up! At least I was nice enough to come and get you—did you think our old man was gonna send a limo for you? Hell no!" Geez, why were older brothers so ungrateful?!

The dog demon shook his head. "On a scale from one to ten, how pissed is Father?"

"You mean InuTaishou-sama—we can't call him father or Dad or whatever, or at least that's what Jaken 'explained' he said."

"No one cares about Jaken. Now answer my question."

"I say he's pretty close to a nine."

"Fuck."

**

* * *

**

Thank gods! His beautiful car was still intact! Sesshoumaru marveled at the perfection that was his gorgeous dark silver Mercedes Benz SLR. It was a sleek coupe highly suited for someone like him who loved to drive over the speed limit—and he got away with it. He sighed in relief and entered the driver's seat of the sports car while Inuyasha called shotgun.

"Keh! See, bastard, I didn't crash your car. I'm perfectly capable of safe driving," the hanyou stated as his brother sped out of the airport parking lot, disregarding the various security vehicles roaming around. _Sheesh, this is a fifteen miles per hour area and the bastard is forty over the limit. _

Err...what the cops didn't see wouldn't hurt.

Sesshoumaru shot him a knowing glance. "It's merely due to the lack of old ladies crossing the street." It was the one incident that ruined the hanyou's first luxurious and quite expensive sports car; it had been a gift for his eighteenth birthday.

Heh, emphasize _had been_.

"Fuck you! No one told that stupid old hag to stand in the middle of the fucking street looking for her glasses!" He hated old ladies! That car was priceless!

"Respect your elders, little brother. How was she supposed to know you were driving at a hundred and seventy miles per hour in a zone of only twenty-five?"

"So?! What the hell was she doing crossing the street at freakin' _two_ in the morning?!"

Yup...Inuyasha swerved off the road to avoid hitting the old crone and ended up smashing his Ferrari against a tree. Damages were unfortunately irreparable.

"Clearly you missed the sign reading, 'beware of old ladies crossing the street at unfathomable hours of the day'," Sesshoumaru admonished, his expression completely serious.

"Just shut up, bastard."

The silver-haired dog demon chuckled at having successfully irked his younger brother, but what annoyed him were these damn stop lights! He grudgingly stopped before one, waiting in boredom for the light to turn green. Meanwhile, Inuyasha's hand drifted to the radio, yet it was slapped away—Sesshoumaru hated the hanyou's kind of music.

A few seconds later, however, another car—an obsidian black Lamborghini Murciélago to be specific—drove up in the lane besides his. And how about that? Sunshine was driving the sleek sports car with her two bodyguards nowhere in sight. She winked mischievously at him, and it didn't take a genius to note what she wanted to play.

Oh well, let the games begin!

"—so I told Kagome to go shopping and she took Mom with her for some reason and they left me alone and then Jaken came over and I was like, ew, and he was like, ew, and Da—AAHH!! What the hell has gotten into you?!" Inuyasha was hanging on to his life with the way Sesshoumaru was suddenly driving!

It was as if he was racing with the black car currently ahead of them! Shit, he **was** racing! The hanyou gripped his armrest until his knuckles turned white when his brother turned a sharp corner.

Gods, didn't he take into account that other people were driving on the streets?! Sure, it wasn't like he didn't speed himself or whatever, but dammit!

Sesshoumaru was known for many things _but_ careful driving!

"Heh, she will not win." Sesshoumaru smirked and picked up the speed, ignoring his brother's frantic screams as he drove on the sidewalk. "These goddamn pedestrians better back the fuck out of my way!"

"Well for one, _you're_ not supposed to be on the sidewalk! _They_ are!" Inuyasha fleetingly wondered where the hell the police were when he needed them. Dang, they were good for nothing! They should have already given his brother a ticket!

No, _three_ of them!

Sesshoumaru ignored the hanyou once again and finally caught up to Sunshine. He waved at her before jerking back onto the single-lane road, this time in front of her. Ha, she was definitely not going to beat him, the Sadist!

The two competitors continued to drive dangerously—if they weren't on the road, they battled on the sidewalk. If it wasn't on the highway, the duel was on the grass. They expertly avoided local traffic, which was an amazing feat considering the busy Tokyo streets.

Either way, both drivers soon reached a tunnel...

Inuyasha's golden amber eyes widened at the new found discovery and he began begging his brother on behalf of his life. "Fuck no, Sessh! Please, I'm fucking _begging_ you! Don't go into the tunnel—I hate tunnels!"

"Too bad."

**"NOOOO!!!"**

And they zoomed into the tunnel with Sunshine in the lead and Sesshoumaru tailing closely behind her. Inuyasha was completely freaked out—tunnels scared the shit out of him because of an incident in his childhood involving a tunnel, a bomb, a shit-load of water, and his favorite kind of ramen...

The tunnel was double-lane, so the silver-haired dog demon took the chance to change lanes in order to take first place. The cycle kept on repeating itself until a truck suddenly appeared, coming towards them while Sesshoumaru was last, but he was definitely _not_ going to lose to Sunshine of all people.

So, he put his skills to the test.

"Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods—oh my fucking gods!!!"

"Stop screaming as if you're in labor, half-breed! My ears are beginning to ring!" Sesshoumaru growled at his inferior, taking the chance to glare at him out of the corner of his eyes. _I lose this race and I'll slit his throat!_

"Don't you value your life?! Don't you at least value mine?!" Inuyasha shouted, frozen stiff in his passenger seat. He regretted letting his brother drive; he should've remembered how competitive he was! Of all the places in which Sesshoumaru took extreme risks—why a freakin' tunnel?!

"If I valued my life, I wouldn't be an assassin." With that having been said, the dog demon sped onto the opposite lane—the lane the truck was in.

**HOOOOONK!**

"YOU PIECE OF **FUUUCK!!!"**

"I'm killing you as soon as I win this race..." Sesshoumaru kept on driving until he came nearly a yard away from crashing into the truck, but before that could happen, he switched lanes and placed in front of Sunshine's obsidian Lamborghini all in a split second.

No one could say that he wasn't an expert driver now...

Inuyasha finally stopped hyperventilating, though he still suffered from the shock of coming close to a fatal car accident. He was at long last relieved, however, when he saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, his misery was over! He was going to be free from Sesshoumaru's Death Trap Car Shit!

_Weeell_...not exactly...

Once out of the tunnel...the two cars raced towards a highway exit that read, 'Do Not Enter—Road Work Ahead'.

Oh shit.

The hanyou didn't even bother bellowing until his lungs popped out. He didn't even bother growling at his insane brother for continuing a race he was not going to win. Hell, he didn't even bother breathing.

All he did was stare straight ahead of him as though a vision of a ramen god suddenly appeared down the road.

He was going to need some serious therapy after this. And while he was at it, he might as well sue certain fearless bastards who shouldn't be allowed on the streets..._or_ the sidewalks.

Sesshoumaru couldn't believe how good of a racer Sunshine was! Damn! She actually kept up with him, overpowered him, and took first place! He had never known _anyone_ who was a risk taker like him when it came to driving. If he didn't know any better, he might say she did this kind of thing _daily_.

_Is she an underground speed racer? Perhaps._ He smirked at the thought of her wearing a racing suit complete with Winnie the Pooh details as she stood before her matching Lamborghini.

But then an image of the Assassin's Daughter came into mind, specifically the dramatic moment when her crimson-booted leg revealed itself from her blood red Aston Martin. _This is getting annoying. _Yes, it was. _I might just have to kill her when I get the chance, then._ Yup.

Soon enough, the two drivers reached the point where the road work ended...literally. There was no road. None. Yet, instead of a road, there was...

"Sesshoumaru, I will beat the crap out of you if you keep going..." Inuyasha wasn't playing around anymore—he was dead serious. There was no f-ing way he was remaining in this car and suffer through...through..._that_.

His brother shrugged. "Go right ahead. It's not like you'll be successful. By the time you finally land a blow on me, your hand will be melted." And he meant it; his claws weren't toxic for no reason. Besides, he tested his demonic ability once...heheheh...

For the most part, the Sadist in him was entertained for _days. _

The hanyou whined, "Please! Do it for me and any future nieces or nephews you might have if you don't kill me!"

"Nope. Besides, Father would rather castrate you than let you have pups."

Sesshoumaru always knew which sore subject to hit on to shut his younger brother up, leaving him speechless and without the will to respond. The car was enveloped in silence for the rest of the trek...at least until they arrived at what had Inuyasha once again praying to any higher entity above him. It was...

A bridge.

A bridge...that wasn't connected.

A bridge...that wasn't connected...and inclined.

This was the last segment of the race—both Sesshoumaru and Sunshine inwardly acknowledged it. Whoever landed on the other side of the bridge first officially won: fair and square. Now it was time to see who the ultimate racer of the two was.

Both cars sped side by side towards the bridge, disregarding anything and everything. It didn't register in their minds that their plan could go awry and one of them could sink to the river below the bridge, or they could both crash and die. No, all they thought about was beating each other—all that registered was rivalry.

Victory was a _sweet_ feeling.

And it was now the ground breaking moment!

Inuyasha clenched his eyes shut and nearly broke off his armrest. Sesshoumaru's lips curved into a smirk of pre-victory as he shifted into second gear. Sunshine kept her cinnamon eyes trained on the bridge and never looked back.

The two racers then accelerated up one side of the bridge at unfathomable speeds and plunged into the air. It was as if they were caught in slow motion; neither car seemed to be in front of the other while they soared across the wide gap between the bridges.

Suddenly, they felt their cars sinking...

...they were nearing the other side of the bridge...

...and the one who made it first...

...was...

"Shit!" Sesshoumaru cursed once he arrived safely on the other side of the bridge and onto the patch of land devoid of any road or civilization whatsoever. "She fucking beat me!"

Inuyasha uttered no response. Hell, he probably had no pulse either.

Sesshoumaru's Mercedes-Benz slid to a stop right after the obsidian Lamborghini did, and he wasted no time to throw open his door. The dog demon marched up to the smiling young woman waiting for his temper tantrum and did the only thing he could do.

He grabbed her by the waist and devoured her rosy lips, pressing her against the cold metal of her vehicle caked in grimy mud. She moaned into his mouth and allowed him to be as aggressive as he wanted—but that didn't mean she would be helpless and easily submissive. Sunshine established her own stance by letting her tongue slip past his lips and have a taste of the demon trying to subdue her.

Sesshoumaru then discovered that the tables turned—now it was _him_ pressed against her car while Sunshine took the lead. She fisted her hands into his long locks of silver hair and crashed him upon her, dominating him even as he fought for control once again.

Dammit—she was relentless!

Appearances were truly deceiving when it came to innocent people...

Inuyasha alas revived from his trance-like state and blinked from inside his brother's sports car, glancing from side to side in confusion. _When the hell did Sesshou-bastard leave?!_ Sure, he had zoned out...but not for a _long_ time...

The hanyou climbed out of his seat and took a fresh breath of air—yes! He was on land! No more metal box of death coincidentally called a car! Though, the sight that met his eyes was _far_ from the relief he was searching for...

"Whoah..." The same human woman he had deemed to be the prime minister's daughter was aggressively making out with his brother...what?! Holy shit! He knew it! He _knew_ those two had something going on! "Hey, bastard!"

Neither broke from their lip lock...well, _tongue_ lock. Inuyasha was growing disgusted—it was too much PDA for one assassin. Then again, analyzing the way Sesshoumaru, the infamous pureblooded bastard sadist, allowed a _human_ bitch to overpower him was interesting...

Ok, ew! Their hands didn't need to wander places they shouldn't!

"Bastard!" Nope, they were still sucking face. **"BASTARD!!!" **

Sunshine reluctantly broke away from the entranced demon against her when someone bellowed impatiently from behind them. She turned around and curiously faced the annoyed hanyou glaring daggers at them—he was the same person who had accompanied Stranger earlier at the airport.

Hmm...they were surely related in some way since their hair and eye colors were identical.

Cool...

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Inuyasha was severely confused and extremely annoyed! There was no reason to torture him by forcing him to watch his brother dry hump some weird-ass woman! "We need to get home before our old man has a cow!"

"I'm sure you'd appreciate having a little calf around the house since you never received the pony you wanted," the dog demon replied, encircling Sunshine's waist from behind. "Be a good little brother and wait for me in my car."

"Asshole, you know the fucking rules!" He ignored the icy warning glare thrown his way. "Who the hell is she, anyway?"

"I'm Sunshine!" The chipper young woman replied, leaning against Sesshoumaru since he apparently wasn't planning to release his hold any time soon. "Hm, what should your nickname be?"

"Nincompoop." Sunshine laughed at Stranger's suggestion—she actually liked it!

"Nickname? What, you people don't know each other's real names or some shit like that?" Inuyasha smirked, but when he received no negative responses, his eyes widened. "You two don't know each other's names?!" What kind of bullshit was that?!

_How the hell do you not know someone's name and make out with her?_ His brother was a freakin' whore! _That's it! I'm telling Dad he raised a slut! Keh! Damn dog-ho..._

"Nope! We don't know each other period!" And she seemed so happy about it, too. Again, she was a weird person... Sesshoumaru was apparently taking advantage of the mentally ill. "He's Stranger and I'm Sunshine and you're Nincompoop. That's how we address each other."

Great, he was stuck as the damn nincompoop now. "Whatever." Inuyasha faced his older brother, who was currently nibbling his way down Sunshine's neck. _Gods, what a horny bastard._ "With the way he's acting, you'd think I stopped him from getting laid last night."

"You actually did." The cinnamon-eyed woman had to pause because a moan passed her lips, and once Sesshoumaru found her sensitive spot on her neck, she arched her back in pleasure. Now it was time to get his revenge for last night! "Not like he was getting lucky, anyway..."

"Ha! In your face, bastard!"

Sesshoumaru disregarded what was said—he liked to believe it wasn't true. In order to prove his theory, he nipped at Sunshine's 'sensitive' spot, causing her to grip the arm around her waist to prevent another moan from escaping.

She loved his ministrations—he knew it!

Err...why was he kissing her neck in the first place? Gods...her sweet scent was a fucking drug to even the most indifferent of dog demons...

Inuyasha shook his head, beginning to feel sick with the amorous display in front of him. "Listen, you bastardous moron, just shove your dick up your ass and let's go! I'd like to get home to my wife sometime soon and get Dad's lecture over with already."

"He's right. I have stuff to do, too." Sunshine sighed and turned around in the dog demon's hold, beaming up at his handsome yet disappointed face. Wow, she had the power to make him visibly disappointed! "I never met someone who almost beat me in a race before. You're really good."

"I never met someone who _can_ beat me in a race," Sesshoumaru grumbled, remembering his shameful loss. And he had a witness to it! Crap! It was time to bring out the shotguns and kill the witness!

She giggled. "You better not have given me a hickey, Stranger..."

He eyed the rather _noticeable_ red bruise on the base of her neck, suppressing the urge to bite his lip like a young pup who knew he had done wrong. Hell, when dealing with a crazy angry woman capable of destroying a precious cell phone with one slam on the ground, he better be afraid...

Sunshine, however, narrowed her eyes once she depicted his guilty silence and grabbed his shirt, pulling him down to her level. "You _didn't_." The grip on his shirt tightened with his lack of reply.

Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk and watch the show. _Now_ he liked that weird woman!

"...perhaps?" Sesshoumaru might as well arrange his own funeral...

He watched her eyes narrow even further before her luscious lips curved into a devious smirk. She let go of her firm hold on his light blue button-up shirt only to practically rip it open, revealing his collarbone and neck. The next thing he knew, her mouth worked expertly to return the favor—damn, he wouldn't mind having a couple more in _other_ places...

"There," she gasped, finally drawing back as she smiled at her work of art, "now we're equal. Well, until next time, Stranger!"

She leaned up and captured his lips in a chaste kiss, taking her time to savor what could be their last moment together. Her sensitive flesh locked the memory of his smooth, soft skin, as well as the feel of his large hands and frame pressed against her petite body, in the depths of her mind before drawing back. Sunshine sighed in ephemeral bliss and took a second to memorize the striking golden honey meld of his irises prior to entering her car and revving up the engine.

Once she was gone, Sesshoumaru exhaled deeply and turned to his impatiently waiting brother. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

The hanyou was still gaping at the nice little token of remembrance Sesshoumaru bore on his neck. It was red bordering on purple...and wouldn't be gone until a minimum of _two_ days... "I'm waiting for you to tell me what the hell you have going on with that 'Sunshine' woman."

"Not going to happen." Seriously, Sesshoumaru didn't know what else the half-breed expected. He wasn't about to spill his secrets to the hanyou who refused to be his slave!

Inuyasha shook his head and accepted defeat. Yeah, he would just try later. "So, do you have any idea of where we are?"

Easy question to answer. "Nope."

"Great."

**

* * *

**

Sesshoumaru loved silence.

It was calming and the only thing that did not constantly demand from him. He could do whatever he wanted in silence and no one would know. It was how he worked as an assassin—with expert stealth inspired by silence. There were no nagging people present, no whining brats, and no vexing noises when silence surrounded him.

But right now...he hated it.

His father gazed at him and his brother in complete silence—his lips were sealed and his face was expressionless, though his golden amber eyes spoke volumes. He was angry, disappointed, frustrated...the list could go on. Overall, he blamed his two sons for his current fury.

And better yet...Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had arrived an _hour_ late.

Yes, they had gotten severely lost but made it home in time for dinner—that was all that mattered, either way.

Sesshoumaru wished his father would say something already, _anything_ at all! Even if he lost control of his rage and bellowed with all his might—he wouldn't care! This silence was imbedding itself into his mind and driving him _insane_. It was eerie and thick with tension, making his skin clamy and rigid, causing the hairs in the back of his neck to rise in presentimented doom.

The patriarch of his family was dangerous...he could only wonder what his father was planning behind his cool façade.

Three dog demons were sitting in a lavish office, each of them staring at one another without uttering a word. Two silver-haired brothers shared a knowing look—they were going to be punished big time for failing their missions. Failing a mission was seen as a sign of incompetence, and what did one do to the inept individuals in a flock of experts?

Get rid of them or severely punish them, of course.

"I was informed of your latest..._failures_," the oldest dog demon in the room began in his low, rumbling voice prior to swiping his silver bangs away from his golden eyes, "and you know how I feel about failures."

Inuyasha audibly gulped—he had experience with the consequences of failing a mission, but he desperately refused to recall the horrid memories. Therefore, he chose to disregard his past failure, even though all failures were considered offenses to his father.

Heh, it merely implied that the elder dog demon failed as a leader.

"Well," the hanyou muttered in hopes of not being punished by a ruthless business tycoon of all people once again, "am I allowed to—?"

"No, you are not in the position to appeal."

"But—" A glare effectively silenced him. "Fine."

"Frankly speaking, however," InuTaishou unexpectedly grinned along with his brighter tone of voice, any traces of fury having abandoned him, "I don't give a damn."

"You what?!" Inuyasha nearly fell out of his black cushioned chair while Sesshoumaru's eyes widened. "All my suffering was for nothing?! Dad, how could you?!"

"_Weeell_, it wasn't exactly for nothing—it was experience, don't you think? And Inuyasha, you shouldn't be complaining because you coerced your wife to pick you up."

"He's right." Sesshoumaru cast a glare at his sulking younger brother, and then faced his father with a serious expression. He knew there was something else to it; he wouldn't be so easily fooled. "There's a catch, isn't there?"

"Ah, my intelligent son solves the case!" The dog demon chuckled, though there was a mysterious twinkle in his eyes that baffled both brothers. "Yes, there is a catch."

_Chirp...chirp...chiiirp..._

"Damn crickets!" Inuyasha growled. They appeared in the most random of times and tortured his sensitive eardrums! _They'll stop making those fucking noises if I bring out some napalm..._ Yup, bombs were a solution to everything. "Anyway...are you gonna tell us this catch of yours any time soon? I'm kinda going through ramen withdrawal...because obviously I couldn't find ramen in _Siberia_."

InuTaishou, as always, ignored the implication. Oh well! Suffering in unmentionable conditions merely led to more experience, and he _loved_ experience! Ahem, more like torturing his sons, though... "Just don't start running into walls while screaming ramen at the top of your lungs..._again_. Extracting Sesshoumaru's bullets from the walls is a pain in the arse for Jaken."

"No one cares about Jaken!" Did no one but Inuyasha understand the simple statement?! No, no, Sesshoumaru was quick to nod his head in agreement. Yes! A consensus was achieved!

"Anywho," InuTaishou finally returned to the hot topic, "there's going to be a ball tomorrow night."

Was that supposed to be a bad thing? "I don't understand." Sesshoumaru was on the brink of strangling his father!

The way he spoke and acted in riddles was extremely misleading and annoying! Sure, he sounded jovial right now, but only because he was planning some kind of horrible fate for one, if not _both_ of his sons! Did he think his antics weren't recognizable? Ha! That was a load of bull-monkey-shit!

"Of course you wouldn't, so let me explain! There is going to be a gala tomorrow night—a company get together of sorts. However...the gala is merely the place where you'll find the catch."

Grr! Sesshoumaru was still confused and he **hated** being confused! "What are you implying?" _Just get on with your point, old man._ Of course, he quieted his impatient thoughts. Sometimes, it was like his father had psychic powers...

InuTaishou was enjoying this very much—his sons were practically sitting on the edges of their seats hanging onto every word he said. Ah, the power a patriarch had over his family! "By the end of the gala, one of you will meet a certain young woman...who is to be your future wife."

"Heh, good luck with that one, Sesshoumaru—I'm already married." Now the hanyou could kick back and relax! It was great having someone do all the work!

"Don't think you're not doing anything, Inuyasha, because in time you and Kagome will have to befriend this woman." He instantly deflated and muttered a vehement curse. His father always ruined the fun, geez.

However...just when Inuyasha was about to suggest shooting the woman instead...

"I will do no such thing," Sesshoumaru abruptly delcared and officially shocked the other two occupants of the room.

Silence.

InuTaishou blankly stared at his eldest son, wondering if he was merely joking or actually serious. No, Sesshoumaru didn't have the sense of humor to make jests. Or at least _funny_ ones... "Did I hear you correctly?"

"Yes, you did." And he didn't bat an eyelash, either.

Inuyasha nearly choked on _air_ at his insolent response. It still shocked him how his brother could easily defy their father's orders! Yet, it was only because the hanyou was unable to do the same... He ignored that fact at the moment. "Keh! Dad, you got a rebellious one here—bring out the whip!"

Perhaps he would actually accept his youngest son's suggestion this time... "Sesshoumaru, it's not like you have a choice. Did your brother have a choice in his marriage?"

The subject wasn't a light one for Inuyasha; therefore, his slightly brighter mood deteriorated and he leaned back in his chair to sulk again. He was happy with his wife, sure, but how he ended up married to her...the circumstances at the time...

Dammit, he never wanted to suffer through it again.

Sesshoumaru boldly stared directly at his father, his resolve unwavering, even with the deadly tone the older dog demon had used. He wasn't afraid of him now—he couldn't be.

There was no way that he, the Sadist, was going to be tied down to some wench he never met before in his life! It was impossible that he would allow himself to be disgraced in such a manner! He rather continue being an assassin for the rest of his life! Hell, _that_ would be a divine _paradise_ compared to living with a fucking hag!

"I am not the coward _he_ is, Father. I will not stand for you debasing me."

Inuyasha hardly bothered protesting since it was pretty much true. He was the lap dog of the family—he could never stop trying to make his father proud of him. Thence, he took on any and every mission handed to him.

InuTaishou sighed to calm himself and settled grave eyes on his eldest son. "And I will not stand for you disrespecting me, son. Do you truly dare to go against your father's wishes?" There it was again...that deadly note in his voice.

Though, Sesshoumaru remained firm. "When it involves something as ludicrous as what you are bidding me, then yes, I do."

A series of laughter randomly ensued from the dog demon as he clapped at his son's boldness. Sesshoumaru was just as confused as his brother was—what was their father laughing about?! Gods, he probably owned a marijuana plant somewhere in the world and tested the merchandise!

"Oh, thank you so much! I needed that!" InuTaishou chuckled before he finally cleared his throat and became professional again. "Now, do you remember Osaka Hideakio?"

Sesshoumaru felt indignant—what happened to him refusing his arranged marriage?! First the senile dog demon laughed hysterically like a mad man and then changed the subject to business! He sure as hell wasn't fucking joking about not wanting to marry a goddamn whoring bitch!

At this rate he needed to whip out his _gun_ to force his father to understand him!

"Isn't Hideakio your friend from Sapporo? The one whose company rivals yours?" Inuyasha asked, once again part of the conversation after he triumphed over his gloominess. It was amazing, though, how his father had a rival yet refused to sabotage his competition...

Usually InuTaishou wasn't so merciful...

His father merely nodded. "Correct. We recently discovered we both despise Sumeragi Corp., which you know is run by that blasted Sumeragi Naraku—the bastard who stole millions from our companies. Anyway, we came up with a plan to stop his corruption from spreading: by joining forces. And by that, I mean merging our companies. However..."

"However...?" Sesshoumaru prompted. The story was becoming interesting—the subject of Naraku always intrigued him because he wanted the cowardice fool dead. Besides, he also desired to know how his apparent betrothal was supposed to fit in with Hideakio.

"It seems that Hideakio is hiding something from me...something important. And I believe the one stealing our very valuable diamonds is tied with him. I mean, with every large corporation comes a band of hired hitmen—just look at me."

Sesshoumaru was then reminded of the Assassin's Daughter... _Could she have been recruited by Hideakio?_ It was probable... Then in a way, they were allies as well as enemies.

However, Inuyasha didn't know what his father was planning in the first place. "Okay, so you don't completely trust him and you want us to monitor him before you two start plotting against Naraku. Where does Sesshou-bastard's marriage come into play?"

"Simple. I will keep a close eye on him...by having my son marry his daughter. I proposed the merger on the basis of Sesshoumaru marrying his only daughter, and he happily agreed. I bet Hideakio just wants to keep a close eye on me, as well." InuTaishou merely shrugged, not really caring about his friend's intentions, anyway.

"I get it now...I don't get what Kagome and I are supposed to do, though." Inuyasha swore today was his day of confusion.

"Nothing but befriend her. You know, earn her trust...get some info...the sorts." The silver haired dog demon then faced his eldest son. "Will you accept now, son?"

He was met with silence.

This time, it was the older dog demon who detested it.

"I'm still waiting for an answer..."

"Then keep waiting."

"Well, do you at least want to know what her name is?" InuTaishou asked, hoping his son would soon reconsider his new mission. Adopting sons in order to carry out his wishes was a hassle!

...or maybe Jaken would happily help him...

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. As if merely knowing her name would influence his decision! But, his damn canine curiosity got the best of him... "Fine. Who is she?"

"Osaka Rin."

* * *

**A/N: END! NOOOO!!!! SESSHY'S NOT GETTING MARRIED TO ME!!! Oh well! :-D Sessh needs to calm down with Sunshine, doesn't he? You can't go around making out with girls you don't know...poor Inu was aghasted! Not that he has virgin eyes... O.O **

Next chapter:** Ooooh, it's time for a gala! And it's time for Sunshine's point of view of things...**

**Sooo...what's up with Osaka Hideakio and Osaka Rin? Will Rin and Sessh really end up getting married? Is Sunshine a secret underground racer? Will Inuyasha become a priest of the Ramen God Cult? What did Inu get punished for by InuTaishou and what was his horrible punishment? When are Kagome and Izayoi coming in? Not next chapter! **

**REVIEW AND WISH ME GOOD LUCK ON MY SATs TOMORROW! I NEED TO GET A FULL SCHOLARSHIP! :-D ME LOVE YOU, ANYWAY!**


	5. One More Coincidence

**A/N: WOOT! SAY HELLO TO AMERICA'S FUTURE JUNIOR MISS! :-D Nah, I just got a finalist in the local competition! I still have to go to States! But me happy! SAT's were great! I hope I did good... UGH! AP CHEM TEST TOMORROW! THREE HOURS LONG!! NOOO!!!!**

**I should be studying but there's no way I can get a four or a five on that test...**

**Thanks to** Irivel, raptor-akida**,** forever angel**,** Beautiful-Rin**, and** Summer in the Spring** for reviewing and wishing me luck! I love you guys!** **Hopefully everyone else I was able to send PMs... Summer in the Spring, I wasn't able to send you a PM...hm...**

**ENJOY THE CHAPPIE!**

* * *

**Assassin's Daughter 5**

* * *

He hated this.

The crisp black tuxedo he was forced to wear was extremely itchy, having his long silver hair up in a high pony tail was uncomfortable, he despised ballroom dancing, and all in all, he wasn't enjoying this stupid gala. Any woman wishing to dance with him was immediately glared at until a hole to Hell ripped open from under her. Waiters roaming around the spacious banquet hall knew not to wander near him with their inane offers of various liquors unless they too wished to visit Satan.

Therefore, he was completely alone and the only productive thing he was currently doing was breathing.

"Excuse me, Maebashi-sama, but would you like to dance?"

Sesshoumaru refrained from sighing and turned his head to glance at the woman who dared to address him. She was wearing too much perfume for her own good, her sleek black dress's neckline was hazardously low, make up was caked to her face—ew.

Overall, she seemed like a typical aristocrat. She probably married twice in her lifetime, both to extremely wealthy men, prevented pregnancy with the morning after pill a little too many times to retain her 'figure', threw up after her meals to, once again, retain her figure—ew.

She was just...ew.

The dog demon never replied but only coldly narrowed his eyes, enjoying the way the woman froze and stuttered a hasty excuse to leave. He had been dealing with many similar women the entire night, though he only cared about the moment when he would meet his future wife.

_Who could she be?_ From his spot leaning against the wall in the new ballroom his father added to his mansion last spring, Sesshoumaru observed the single ladies amidst him. Some were beautiful, others lacked in fashion, a few were whores—no matter what, he couldn't see himself married to any of them.

Hell, he couldn't see himself married to _begin_ with.

He spotted his brother dancing with his raven-haired wife on the dance floor, for once grinning, free of complaints and not stepping on her feet. It wasn't fair that the hanyou was enjoying himself! And even his father was delightedly conversing with his mate, Inuyasha's human mother, over by their principle table, sitting intimately close to each other.

Sesshoumaru averted his gaze from the happy couples and sighed. He might as well make the best of the night by—wait a minute, was that who he thought it was?! It couldn't be!

His golden honey eyes trailed over the form of a young, obsidian-haired woman standing off to the side of the bustling crowd in the dance floor. She was merely watching everyone having a good time with a content smile on her attractive face...but she apparently didn't have a date.

Heh, the gods were taunting him—the shy young woman was definitely Sunshine.

He made his way over to the oblivious woman and leaned against the wall beside her, joining her intense scrutiny of the people dancing their lives away in front of them. But, out of the corners of his eyes, he took in her lovely appearance.

The peach spaghetti strap dress she wore was modest—it showed only enough cleavage to leave men, including him, craving for more. It did, however, define the luscious curves of her body, making him want to run his hands over territory he had yet to explore. Her wavy hair was curled in long, twirling locks framing her face and falling below her shoulders.

What he would give to run his fingers through her hair as she moaned his name...

To sum it up, she was exactly what he was looking for tonight.

"Are you done staring, Stranger?"

Sesshoumaru smirked. He had known she was aware of his presence—she wasn't as airheaded as she appeared. "Not quite." There was still much more to see...

She turned her head to give him the once over, and he watched her nod, her silent approval amusing him enough to morph his smirk into a satisfied smile. He didn't miss the mischievous wink she shot him after her swift speculation.

"Having any fun?" The young woman asked with a carefree smile.

"Are you?"

"Nope."

"Likewise."

A comfortable silence soon enveloped them as neither knew what to say next. Sunshine was apparently content with staring at the dance floor, an ever-present smile curving her glossy pink lips. Her hands were innocently clasped in front of her while she did nothing more than gaze at the blithe dancers.

The dog demon sighed again and had to admit that he was finally enjoying the gala. He liked being near Sunshine because she never demanded anything from him—he was at peace with her. She didn't ask him to dance with her like other women did, she wasn't wearing any perfume that would mask her aromatic scent and threaten to blow up his nose; she was just happily quiet.

Well, more often than not, she was babbling someone's head off, but right now, she played her role of the reticent young woman in complete control of his attention.

After a few moments, Sesshoumaru decided to leave the bustling ballroom in favor of the outdoors. There was no way he was going to accompany those buffoons on the dance floor and prance around like a monkey, and being inside all day wasn't on his agenda. It was a night of the full moon, and when he wasn't busy, he made a habit of gazing up at its silver serenity, which appealed to his inner beast and allowed him to forget life's troubles.

However...where there was a moon, there was bound to be a sun tagging along...

"Come with me." Sunshine blinked and looked up in time to see him grab her hand before leading her away from their silent post. The young woman was confused, but refrained from questioning his intentions.

That was another thing he liked about her—she didn't ask multiple questions at once.

Soon enough, he arrived at a balcony, and after lifting his pretty hostage bridal-style, he easily jumped down from it and into the courtyard of his father's estate. Once he placed her on her own two feet again, Sunshine looked around the spacious yard in complete awe. It was marvelous!

Several rose bushes framed a stone path leading to a towering fountain, seeming ethereal in the faint glow of the solar lights illuminating the walkway. A creek ran through the entire estate, and a stone bridge over it allowed one to travel from one gorgeous garden to the next. And she couldn't exclude the majestic, silver full moon hanging high in the midnight sky, crowded by millions of tiny stars dotting the infinite blanket of navy blue.

The Maebashi courtyard was a superb place for stargazing...

"Wow..." The obsidian-haired woman breathed, her cinnamon eyes widening in splendor, "it's amazing... I'd _love_ to live here!"

Sesshoumaru strode up behind her, also gazing at the large expanse of land belonging to his father, and himself—not that _she_ knew as much. "I can imagine you spending hours in one the rose gardens. It suits you."

She smiled like an excited child during the holidays. "I love flowers. You can say they're my only friends."

"Why, Sunshine," he feigned hurt, placing a hand over his chest as though she had insulted him, "you'd choose flowers over me? Certainly I thought _we_ were friends."

"Oh, you big oaf!" She giggled, taking the hand over his chest in hers. "And here I thought we were _past_ the friend stage. Hmph, flowers are better than you any day!"

"Wanna bet?" Sesshoumaru's voice became husky as he leaned his head in closer to hers, purring into her ears, caressing the sensitive hairs on her neck. But for once, he wasn't threatening a victim. Hm...what a pleasant change. "I can prove my company is far more pleasing than your precious flowers."

"Hmm..." The young woman pretended to contemplate his suggestion, attempting to ignore the finger slowly tracing her figure. "Only if you catch me." The dog demon furrowed his eyebrows, and she laughed. "Tag, you're it!"

She quickly fled from him with a bright smile on her pretty face, leaving him confused and disoriented. Damn, the last thing he wanted to do was chase _after_ her! Well, he then considered the prize he would attain once he captured his runaway hostage...

Sesshoumaru smirked. He was a dog demon—it was in his nature to chase after things.

Therefore, he wasted no time to hunt his prey, though he allowed her to believe she had the upper hand. She ran past the tall fountain, planning to confuse him by circling it twice, and continued down a path behind it. The dog demon inwardly chuckled and followed suit, keeping his presence unknown, silently stalking her.

That was, until he swept in and grabbed her by the waist.

"Hey! No fair! You're a dog demon and you have a great sense of smell! And I can't see in the dark as well as you do! I can't run in heels!" Sunshine squiggled in his tenacious hold, trying to break free but to no avail. "I'm dying of sleep deprivation!"

"Stop making excuses," Sesshoumaru admonished, setting the young woman down in front of him, though he first made sure she had no means of escape. He placed his hands on her hip and inwardly smiled at the bright blush creeping onto her cheeks. "I won, so where's my prize?"

"Hmph, I won a race against you and all I got was a hickey." He raised an eyebrow in question, glancing at her neck in his search for the red blemish of the day prior only to see flawless creamy skin. She sighed. "Cover-up. It works miracles."

Ah...he had borrowed some of Kagome's, even though she was a shade darker than he was. Well, it still worked to prevent his father from noticing his little love bite...yet he was forced to occasionally receive odd looks from him. He briefly mused if his father arrived to the conclusion that his eldest son was metrosexual...

Sunshine sighed again, yet it was in bliss this time. She wove her arms behind the tall demon's neck, leaning on him as she closed her eyes, savoring the moment. Sesshoumaru tightened his arms around her waist, drawing her body even closer to his before tucking her head under his cheek, reveling in the warmth of her petite body and allowing his mind to wonder about her sensual curves yet innocent countenance. It was truly baffling...

Hell, his inner demon was currently at peace...humming softly in content of having her near him so... Never before had the beast been quieted so easily on a night of a full moon, the energy of the complete planet stimulating its canine instincts...

Yet...this was all wrong. "I shouldn't even be here with you..." His fiancée was somewhere inside the mansion, probably pondering his identity as he stood outside, enjoying his time with another woman he barely knew.

Besides...if his father saw him now...

Sesshoumaru tried recalling that he was an assassin, and that emotions never snaked their way into his life before, though his attempts were futile. He didn't know what it was about Sunshine, but he was completely under her spell...and he couldn't break free even if he wanted to, which he didn't.

She would give him a reason for living, _if_ he allowed her to. A woman he hardly knew was suddenly a major turning point in his life—how _wonderful_. The dog demon resisted the urge to laugh sardonically. This was all too uncharacteristic of him—since when did women manage to drive him over-the-edge insane?

"I know, Stranger..." Sunshine agreed with him, much to his surprise. Her aromatic vanilla and lilies scent revealed her sorrow at this acknowledgement. "We don't really know each other...and we both have secrets we can't share..."

How he wished her statement wasn't true.

"I'm getting married." She tensed in his arms, and he swiftly explained, "An _arranged_ marriage. My father thought it beneficial for the family." Technically, he wasn't lying; it _was_ beneficial if Osaka Corp. and Maebashi Corp. merged.

"I see..." There was something in her tone of voice that told him she was hiding an important fact, but wasn't about to inform him. It wasn't his business, or so he consoled his raging curiosity. "Well...we've had enough coincidences for one lifetime, right?"

Her smile was contagious. "Yes. I never thought I'd see you here." Now that he thought about it, their situation _was_ slightly suspicious... Were they secretly stalking each other?

She shrugged, her cinnamon eyes brightly lit. "Fate likes to play tricks on us."

"Unfortunately."

Silence soon enveloped them as they stared into one another's eyes, losing themselves in their respective thoughts. The pad of Sesshoumaru's thumb brushed over her rosy bottom lip... It was a feather-light touch that excited her nerves and tinted her cheeks red once more.

And the dog demon couldn't get over the fact that her scent was simply intoxicating...

The thought of another man sharing a similar moment with her caused fleeting anger to consume him. He was already possessive of her, and he was to be married to some slutty bitch who would play her role as an amazing trophy wife! Although he yearned for _his_ Sunshine, he couldn't have her.

Letting go was the hardest part of saying goodbye...

But before Sesshoumaru descended to claim her lips in case he'd one day lose her to someone else...

"Ahem."

...a man cleared his throat behind them.

The two immediately jolted apart as the dog demon replaced his mask of indifference, and Sunshine glanced at the intruder only to end up gasping. "F-Father..."

Sesshoumaru would've gaped if it was in his nature. Damn...the last thing he needed was to be caught almost making out with Sunshine by none other than her _father_...

The older man standing by the patio doors held an expression rivaling the silver-haired dog demon standing a few feet away from his daughter. His cold hazel eyes swept past the couple, analyzing the happenings in his absence. Apparently, he perceived them to be anything from pleasing, to _him_ at least.

Sunshine gulped and bowed her head, absentmindedly fiddling with her peach dress. Her companion noted the nervous apprehension underlying in her scent. "Sorry for leaving your side. I—"

"Let's go." His deep voice left no room for protest and his cold stone eyes revealed what he would do if anyone chose to disobey him. Sunshine sighed and refrained from even glancing back at the dog demon as she obediently trailed behind the sable-haired man.

Sesshoumaru was left standing in the courtyard feeling lonelier than ever. Now he was forced to go back to the gala and spread his misery... What a great thing to look forward to!

He sighed and retreated back inside the mansion.

Well, at least he'd fun glaring at all the perky women who asked him to dance...

**

* * *

**

The firm grip on her arm threatened to create bruises—that much she noted about her father's anger. She knew she wasn't supposed to be congregating with people, but dammit! He didn't have to drag her away from the courtyard just because of a simple mistake!

But...she'd never regret her mistake. Especially since it hadn't been a mistake in her point of view.

Her times with Stranger were held precious by her.

A wince crossed Sunshine's face once her father unconsciously tightened his grip. He refused to meet her gaze, and starting a conversation with a man on the brink of whipping out a gun and shooting her in the gut was not a smart move. So, she was forced to accept her current predicament.

Yet, it would help to know where he was leading her in someone else's mansion!

The duo ascended a flight of steps and finally stood before a pair of wide, ebony wooden double doors. Her cinnamon eyes narrowed inquisitively. A room was on the other side of the doors, though its importance was lost on her.

Without uttering any words, her father turned the knob on one of the double doors and pushed it open, wasting no time to shove her inside and shut it behind him. She fell onto the carpeted floor in a heap; her peach dress lied jumbled just above her knees. The young woman hardly bothered to make sense of her surroundings, which she soon perceived as a man's bedroom.

"Rin."

She looked up when her name was called, and glared with all her might at the one person who was the cause of her misery. Her trembling hands curled into fists as she lifted herself into a sitting position prior to modestly covering her exposed legs.

Gods, she wished she could hate this man.

But he was her father. Therefore, she could not completely detest him.

"This is where you will be staying. Leave the room and I will personally see to it that you never walk again." His deep, threatening voice hardly intimidated her. She was used to his threats by now—and no, they were never idle.

"You can't force me to do anything, _Father_." The derisive way she referred to him angered him—she could tell by the narrowing of his eyes. Not like she cared.

"Let's get one thing straight, _Daughter_." Since she mocked him, he was returning the favor, she guessed. "You are currently on a mission. Fail me and it will result in death."

Rin rolled her cinnamon eyes and stood up. "Blah blah blah. You can't get rid of me because you _need_ me. Without me you're _nothing_."

_Slap! _

The young woman sharply inhaled while her hand slowly rose to tentatively graze the recently bruised flesh on her left cheek. Her cinnamon eyes rested on the indifferent face of her father, staring at him in shock, her lips parting in a small gape. It wasn't the first time her father had hit her due to disobedience, but each time served to paralyze her muscles and prevent her from defending herself.

Gods...if she had a knife, she'd waste no time to plunge it into his gut and watch him suffer. Usually these types of thoughts were scarce in her mind...but when that bastard dared to strike her and remain as though nothing happened or she deserved it...

...she would seriously kill him.

"Don't overstep your boundaries, Rin." Hideakio's baritone voice revealed no sentiments of guilt or remorse. His hazel eyes barely flickered towards his daughter. "Wait for your fiancé here. A week from today, you shall be married to him."

"Y-You..." Her words died on her tongue while her hand pressed against her aching temples. She blamed her current tunnel vision on the torrent of emotions swarming in her heart.

This was real, then...she was actually being married off, given away like an unwanted child. She had no say in his decision—hell, she might as well be sold into slavery! She might as well become a fucking prostitute! How dare him!

Again, she wished she could hate her father, but each attempt failed.

"I hope you don't give him any trouble since most men say you are too feisty for their tastes. As long as you complete your duties as a responsible wife and do as you are told—"

"Shut the hell up!" Rin shouted, gripping her head between her hands as she suppressed the tears threatening to flood her eyes. "Who the fuck do you think I am?! Some kind of slut?! Do you think I'm going to stand here and nod while you expect me to cater to a goddamn bastard's needs?!"

"I expect you to accomplish your mission at all costs. Monitoring the Maebashi family is the least you could do to compensate for your past failures."

"What freakin' failures?! ARGH! I forfeit! I hate the life I lead! I can't even _sleep_ at night thinking of all the atrocities I've done! And how the **hell** am I supposed to live among this family and act as if everything is okay when in fact I'm hiding the deadliest secret of them all?!"

How could he even _do_ this to her?! Sure, their relationship wasn't the best—both made sure to steer clear of the other. But...surely he had to esteem her _at least_ a little! He couldn't...he _already_ ruined her life! She was his fucking puppet! She carried out his most difficult missions and never failed!

Not even once!

Rin choked back a sob and willed herself to reign the emotions tearing at her heart and destroying her self dignity. Her head was seconds away from bursting—what was wrong with her? She couldn't care...not when she was about to marry a man she had never seen before.

Not when she was a week away from becoming his personal sex slave, as her father implied.

But why should she cry in front of this bastard? She wasn't weak in any way...she was stronger than this! Besides, Rin was not a child. Staying by her father's side and following his orders like an obedient daughter was no longer mandatory.

She could leave.

No, she _will_ leave.

_Now. _

"Get out of my way."

Hideakio raised an incredulous eyebrow at his furious daughter, yet ignored her firm demand just as he ignored her previous rants. He knew she didn't have it in her to abandon him and her life—she was securely rooted in the world he molded for her.

Heh, perhaps he'd give her the illusion of freedom...but nothing more.

Upon noticing that he wasn't about to budge an inch away from the doors marking her freedom, Rin lifted her head, no longer shielding her eyes with her bangs. They were dark in murderous fury, nearly bordering black. At her sides, her trembling hands curled into fists.

If she had to fight him, then so be it.

"I said, _get_ out of my way!"

"You're not going anywhere, darling," the hazel-eyed man crooned, his lips curving into a smug smirk. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable on the bed and wait for your husband-to-be, hm?"

That was the last straw—the mere implication of her being a common whore ignited her nerves and sent her into a blood-lusting rage. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way! **MOOOVE!"**

Rin charged forward and aimed a sweep kick at Hideakio's feet, but he merely avoided her and condescendingly waited for her next attack. She viciously swore and launched a round of kicks and punches at the smirking man she deemed her father, but every attempt she made to free herself from his clutches backfired.

At long last, however, he moved away from the door. There was her chance! Without looking back, she ran towards it, yet before she could turn the knob...

**"AAAHH!!"** She clawed at the strong hand grasping a fist full of her long obsidian locks, twisting and turning her body trying to remove it. The agony she was bearing at the moment was enormous—only once prior had he pulled her hair in such a manner!

Hideakio yanked on her hair, gathering another yelp from her, and dragged her to the bed covered in royal blue silk sheets, mercilessly throwing her on top of it. The young woman gasped for breath, cradling her abused head after her father's hand released its painful hold. She glared at him with all the anger she could muster.

"Let this be a lesson, _Daughter_. Don't try to escape from me because I am not so magnanimous to allow you to leave unscathed."

Any one could see it in his hazel eyes—he was sadistic and aloof to the pain of others. His daughter was only related to him in blood and nothing else; she was just another human body he could cut up and dissect.

Rin refused to concede to his demands! She felt like crap, but like **hell** she was going to stay here while her father sold her to the fucking devil!

**"GRRAAAH!"** In another burst of rage, the young woman threw herself against the older man shoulder-first, knocking him off his feet, and made a mad dash for the door.

Again, it was futile.

_Thud!_

"No! No no no no no **NO!!!"** Rin tried to crawl away, she tried to use her knees and manicured nails to help her body move forward, but it was hopeless. Tears of frustration leaked from her eyes as she sobbed, realizing that...

...that she was helpless.

No dammit! Why couldn't she get away?! Why didn't he just let go of her and have someone else take her place?! She couldn't be forced to...gods no!

Hideakio gripped her ankle in his outstretched hand and hauled her back to him before standing up. He loomed over the sobbing woman on the carpeted ground, practically growling in acrimony—what an impudent wretch! Her little show of crying and looking frail and...and all that shit was **not **going to grant her freedom!

Not now, not ever!

He kneeled beside her and fisted his hand in her hair again, snapping her head up to meet his piercing glare. For once, savage loathing shined in her dark, flaring eyes that were swollen with tears she barely suppressed. They revealed the danger always surrounding her, the predator cloaked by her ever-present innocence.

Hmph, Rin wasn't innocent.

Far from it.

She was beautiful and dangerous...her embrace was murderous...she possessed a spiteful fire's painful caress...she was a lioness...

_His_ daughter had accomplished tasks most men would never even _dream_ of foregoing.

For that, and her endless determination, he admired her.

But Hideakio realized that his daughter needed to be reminded of _what_ and _who_ an assassin truly was. Marrying her to the son of his best friend, a dog demon as apathetic as anyone could get, was the perfect way to achieve his goal. It was partly why he agreed to InuTaishou's 'business merger'.

"Drugging you was pointless—it's true that you have bundles and bundles of hidden energy." He watched in perverse satisfaction as her eyes grew wide. At last, he had the upper hand. "Oh well, in the end I subdued you."

Gods...the reason why her head was pounding, why her movements were not as graceful as usual, was because he...he _drugged_ her! Was her father so desperate to have her married that he would go through such lengths to ensure her submission?! It was sickening!

Rin gritted her teeth as a dull throb settled into her cranium—there was no way she would be stupid enough to forego another escape attempt, however.

"Listen, Rin, I know you are not far from hating me at this moment, but this is for your own good. Trust me—one day you will be thanking me for arranging this marriage."

"Eat shit and _die_." Never would she consent with his words. At this point, she hardly cared who she was going to marry—what irked her was the fact that her father was willing to hand her to some asshole so readily.

Was he trying to dispose of her? Had she displeased him in some way—what did she do to deserve this? She valued her virginity; she wished to lose it to a man she _loved_, dammit!

Hideakio sighed at her ongoing impertinence. Well, there was nil he could do. "All I can say in return is fail me and die." Not many knew him for who he truly was...a cold hearted man trained not to show his emotions because they were weaknesses—weights holding him back from the creed he had pledged to in his youth.

He killed by discipline, honor, and loyalty.

He lived by no bounds and no love.

He profited by success.

Hideakio had been one of the most skilled assassins...

...and Rin was his daughter.

**

* * *

**

"My son."

Sesshoumaru gave his father a passing glance, his expression unemotional and detached from the world. A glass of red wine was pressed against his lips as he took a sip, but not even the sweet taste of fine imported wine eased his frustration. Now he knew why he was an assassin: being forced to attend galas like this made him want to kill someone.

_Painfully. _

At this time, the guests have all left the mansion and retreated to their own extravagant homes. He was silently glad, though wished for a random nuclear bomb to blow them up on their way out. And for what he cared, his father could join them. Obviously he was homicidal right now.

"Is there something you'd like, Father?" Sesshoumaru coldly answered without revealing his state of mind. Well, his mind was crusted with ice, anyway.

Did he want to further ruin his son's life? He wouldn't be surprised if his father one day announced that his two sons were to kill each other. There were so many surprises in his life that Sesshoumaru felt no need to be shocked.

InuTaishou gazed at his son, the vacant dog demon leaning against the wall of his ballroom, staring at the servants cleaning up remnants of the festivities in boredom. Sometimes it was hard to accept what he had done to not one, but _both_ of his sons...how he had desensitized them only to morph them into merciless _abominations_.

Sesshoumaru was a prime example.

The older dog demon sighed, raking his clawed hand through his bangs. "Your fiancée..." InuTaishou watched his son's lips tighten, and he frowned. "Your fiancée is expecting you. You will find her in your room, since she is to stay with us until the wedding. What is to be done with her, I leave up to you."

He left without another word, and Sesshoumaru stared at his empty wine glass. So, they leave the bitch in his room—what was he supposed to do? Fuck her senseless? Did their fathers hope he'd be consumed with lust and therefore agree to marry her?

Like hell she was even sleeping _near_ him!

_CRAAACK!_

His golden honey eyes glistened murderously. The pain he had inflicted on himself was not registered by his nerves, for he hadn't flinched when he crushed the glass in his hand, causing multiple shards to cut into the rough flesh. He already began to feel the wounds healing, however. It was of no concern to him.

No.

The only one who should be concerned was his fiancée. Why?

Because she was about to marry _not_ Maebashi Sesshoumaru, but the Sadist.

**

* * *

**

Even from outside his bedroom he sensed something was wrong. If he stepped through the closed doors right now, his life would change forever and he'd never be the same again. His nose wasn't registering any scents from inside the room—why was trivial.

All he knew...was that a woman was in his room.

His fiancée.

Sesshoumaru's hand hovered over the door knob that would open his bedroom door, and he sighed, shaking his head. What the hell was he doing—hesitating? When had he ever hesitated before in his entire life?

His golden honey eyes narrowed. He had faced some of the most dangerous and cunning gang leaders in the world, and he killed them without a second thought. There was no reason for him to fear one measly woman, a tramp who was after his money, too. By marrying him she was gaining a good-looking, rich husband and a mansion to boot.

A deadly growl rumbled in his chest, but he composed himself. The dog demon's clawed hand turned the knob and he entered the room, his expression cold and gaze unwavering.

Yet...

What he found was definitely _not_ what he expected.

Immediately his emotionless shields crumbled and shock clearly showed on his handsome face, widening his eyes and parting his lips. With everything else forgotten as he walked to the center of his room in a sort of mystical trance, Sesshoumaru stopped in front of his bed and stared down at the dark-haired beauty sprawled across it.

"No..." It couldn't be...not _her_...gods, not her! "Sunshine...?" She was deeply sleeping so she couldn't respond; her rhythmic breathing told him as much.

However, a bright red bruise sat proudly on her cheek, highlighted by dried tear streaks, and her once neatly curled hair was a tangled mass under her head. Apparently, she had struggled with someone before she had fallen asleep.

It proved what Sesshoumaru refused to accept.

His fiancée...was Osaka Rin.

And Osaka Rin...was Sunshine.

* * *

**A/N: END! HELLS YEAH! Now I don't have to call Rin Sunshine anymore... :-D WOOT! And now le drama ensues! Or whatever you call the next chapters...**

**Next Chapter: Erm...InuTaishou and Izayoi are planning something...Inu and Kags get kinda emotional...Rin and Sessh are on the same road... :-D**

**Sooo...why's everyone gonna get emotional next chapter? What will happen now that Sessh found out his future wife turned out to be Sunshine? When's the wedding scene? Is Sesshoumaru secretly James Bond? Will Rin one day morph into Electra and beat his ass? When's the antagonist coming in? Keh, in chapter ten...**

**REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO GET TO CHAPTER TEN!!! :-D ME LOVE YOU ALL! WISH ME LUCK ON MY AP CHEM TEST! Wow...three hour-long AP test... *shudder***


	6. Another Mission

**A/N: YO WHAT UP! :-D I am DONE with AP Chem! Well...I still have to take the final even though I already took the AP test, so... But whatever! I'm just glad the test that actually took close to **_**four**_** hours is OVER! WOOT! Even though I left half of the multiple choice blank... Bah, I'm not getting any college credit for Chem. **

**Anymelon, I only have to worry about three finals this year and I'm so happy! Math, Chem, and Psychology--next week is gonna be a good week! Then school is over on June 4 for me! You know what that means? UPDATE MANIA AND HERSHEY PARK! :-D **

**I should update Oh My Gods!... Actually, I'm working on it! **

**Thanks to **Forever Angel**, **Summer in the Spring**, **Rosy Rose**, **raptor-akida**, and **Irivel** for showing their support and reivewing! I LOVE YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT! IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE EATING A BROWNIE! And we all know I melt for a brownie...yes, I'm a witch who melts. :-D I HOPE YOU REVIEW AGAIN PEEPS!**

Warning**: Yea yeah, my characters can be OOC. Well, at the end of this chappie, **Sesshoumaru** is **DELIBERATELY** OOC! So don't flame me 'cause he's too sappy--I need him that way for a reason before he and Rin get married. :-D Me have a plan!**

**ENJOY THE CHAPPIE!**

* * *

**Assassin's Daughter 6**

* * *

The first thing she noticed upon rousing was the wonderful, completely masculine scent surrounding her in a blanket of silken warmth. A smile touched her lips as her nose nuzzled the pillow beneath her head, seeking a better whiff of the poignant smell overriding her senses. Gods, she could barely describe it!

It was a spicy scent that revealed secrets of power and control...a pleasing tease to her nostrils...a beautiful scent most likely belonging to an equally beautiful, masculine creature...

Masculine...

Since when did her bed smell like a man?!

But before she opened her cinnamon eyes and searched her whereabouts, she remained calm and kept her breathing even. Someone was in the room with her...watching her, anticipating the moment she awakened. The predator in her recognized when the hunter was being hunted...

A pair of eyes intensely stalked her sleeping form...

It was only about a minute later that she finally realized where she was—in her fiancé's bedroom. Then it was probably _him_ unashamedly gazing at her... Grr! The pervert!

And was there a reason why she wasn't wearing the dress she surely fell asleep in?

Rin hardly tensed her body once she sensed the man step closer to her, invading her comfort zone. Inwardly she growled, silently threatening this stranger if he didn't back off. Hmph, what? Did he want to wake her and have a quick morning fuck?

Sex after marriage was always the best solution.

But she barely restrained the urge to lash out at the cursed bastard when his clawed fingertips gently traced her bare arm—she was wearing tank top pajamas. He was touching her while she was allegedly asleep! How dare him!

And he kept moving lower and lower until he reached the hem of her shirt...

Damn, she had kicked the covers away in her sleep...

It didn't matter that his ministrations sent a spark of excitement running through her veins and coursing up her spine—he was a complete stranger! Ha, there was no way she was going to let him take advantage of her, _even_ if he turned out to be the most gorgeous man alive! Hmph, no one could be more gorgeous than Stranger, anyway...

Whoa, now he was touching her bare abdomen!

Crap, her shirt rode up, too?! Or did he push it up? Nah, she'd go with the former—she couldn't accuse him of all her misfortunes.

Yet, she couldn't bear it any longer, not when his exploring fingers hesitated at the beginnings of her pajama pants. He was definitely _not_ going beyond there—that territory will remain unknown and dangerous!

Rin immediately snapped her eyes open and shot her index and middle fingers towards the mystery man's jugular vein on his neck, intending to threaten him, but faltered once he effortlessly stopped her assault.

Hell...she was staring into amused golden honey eyes...which were familiar...

"I knew you were awake," her fiancé purred in a rich, deep voice she mistook to be no one else's but a certain someone who occupied her thoughts as of late. His sensual lips curved into a very amused smirk as he gazed at her poised fingers grasped in his hand. "Hm, you reacted later than I expected."

Hell, he hadn't expected _that_ kind of reaction, though... It seemed a little _too_ well coordinated for his tastes...like a trained warrior alert of a potential enemy. Hmph, Sunshine hadn't lied; she truly _wasn't_ defenseless.

Rin's eyes were wide as her skin visibly paled. She couldn't believe...he couldn't be... Why was he still here? "Stranger..." There was no way he could be—! "Are you...what's your name?" _Please don't let it be him! Let him at least be a scary stalker but not my—! _

"Sesshoumaru. Maebashi Sesshoumaru..._Rin_."

Oh gods...it _was_ him! He was her fiancé! He was the man she was forced to marry, share his bed, his life...oh dear lord! She felt like fainting and she was already lying down! So, all this time...he was...they were supposed to...

What?! _This makes things more complicated..._ And it was for reasons she could never reveal. Her secrets...her double life...he could never know. Hell...it definitely made things more complicated, but she didn't allow her expression to reflect her inward apprehension, so she only smiled.

She could ponder her predicament later while she was alone...

"Well, at least we already met before we married each other, huh? I'm telling you, our lives are composed of one coincidence after another." Rin shook away her stupor and retracted her hand from his as she sat up in his bed. She avoided mulling over their chance meeting by acting cheery. "So, how did I end up in pajamas?"

"My brother's wife lent them to you," Sesshoumaru replied. He himself was decked in satin blue sleeping pants and a plain white T-Shirt clinging to his muscular torso. The young woman still sitting instantly discerned that he recently put the shirt on... Great, mental images weren't helping her focus! "And before you ask, no, I did not change you."

"So who did?" She was only teasing him, and he knew.

"My father's mate." It wasn't like he was about to undress her without her permission—he was a dog demon and had a powerful sexual drive, but he wouldn't stoop so low! Besides, he wouldn't trust himself not sneaking a peak or accidently placing his hands in unmentionable places...

Therefore, he acquired the help of a trustworthy woman—Izayoi.

Even though she laughed in his face before arriving to his aid...

Heh, that was what happened when a random woman fell asleep on his bed. Then again, Sesshoumaru wasn't about to tell Sunshine that he actually slept _beside_ her the entire time... She didn't need to know useless information, right? Goddamn, he had never slept better before in his life, though. "Come, it's time for lunch."

"Huh?" Rin glanced at the digital clock on a bedside table, which read to be one in the afternoon. "Holy crap! I slept in!" It was the first time in years! With the life she led, she couldn't afford to let her guard down enough to sleep extra hours! _Ugh, no wonder Father put me on this mission. _

She was a hopeless case.

"You shouldn't fret since my family members _all_ slept in." _Especially those of us with hangovers._ Not him, of course. His alcohol tolerance level was higher than a certain half-breed's... "Like I said, we should get going."

_Wait..._ Rin glanced down at her current apparel, which she deemed unsuitable to present to her fiancé's prestigious family. _Eh?!_ He was urging her to face the Maebashi family wearing pajamas?! "I'm not even dressed yet! And I don't have clothes to wear! Oh my gods, I have to brush my—"

Sesshoumaru hauled the young woman off his bed prior to dragging her out of the room and into the corridor, earning a mouthful of protests from her. She was only in pajamas, her hair looked like a mini forest, and she needed to brush her teeth! What was he thinking?!

_He's insane! It's the blue stain pants—they make anyone gaga!_ She was a prime example! "Listen, mister—!"

"Rin, we don't need to change. Breakfast, or in today's case lunch, is an informal affair. We eat in what we wake up in." The rule was a quite pleasing rule since the only thing he desired when he awoke was food.

Mmm...food...

Well...he wasn't a morning person in the first place, and he arranged a date with one of his favorite handguns to whoever barricaded him from his food...

The young cinnamon-eyed woman trapped in his tenacious grip still looked torn and unconvinced. Sometimes it was impossible to trust Stranger's judgment. "But—"

"You look fine." Sesshoumaru took in her wild appearance, as though she had just gone through a romp in the bed, and absentmindedly nodded, content. Actually, the thought of her having gone through a romp in the bed...with _him_ in it was pleasing... Another smirk conquered his silken lips, which wasn't missed by his fiancée. "Shall we go eat now?"

_Control...maintain control...._ Dammit, he was losing control of his damn libido again! Her tangled locks of silken obsidian hair looked soft to touch; her wide, innocent cinnamon eyes gazing up at him filled with trust yet tinged with uncertainty drove him over the edge; the slow fall and rise of her chest, bearing a full, robust bounty ached for his touch... Gods!

Sexual tension was **not** on his agenda for the day!

Sesshoumaru was constantly reminded that he had unfinished business with Sunshine since their meeting in Moscow, and hell, he could hardly wait to consummate their marriage. He was suffering from a cursed canine sexual drive, the dog demon supposed; he instantly related with all of his poor brethren snared in constant, insatiable heat during mating season.

But...his smirk returned with renewed vigor as he planned ahead for his wedding night...

Rin blinked, wondering why Sesshoumaru looked so amused and...dare she say, sexy. _Oh I know! He wants to sling me over his shoulder, throw me on his bed, and have his way with me! Hurray for Rin!_ She smiled tauntingly, sliding her hand into his once his hold on her wrist loosened. _He deserves some torture for stalking me in my sleep. _

What a creep...

"Well?" She made sure her voice sounded like a sweet, innocent caress, betraying her underlying intentions to intensify his arousal. Her free hand slowly raked through her ruffled mass of dark hair, its slender fingers easily sliding through _slick_ strands. Rin was positive she just saw Stranger lick his lips! "Lead the way."

"With pleasure." _Ah, she believes she is in control of me again,_ Sesshoumaru noticed. It seemed as though every time his attraction was visible, she manipulated it to her own satisfaction in their little game.

What the hell were they playing—chess? _Chess is a human game I actually _do_ know how to play. _And extremely well at that.

Hmph, when someone issued him a challenge, he was sure not to miss it.

This time...he _wasn't_ losing to Sunshine...

..._too_ much.

**

* * *

**

"Not again...dammit. So, you're sure he's not involved?"

She watched her husband as he spoke intently with someone over the phone, narrowing her violet eyes once a frown marred his handsome features. Treading closer to him where he sat in his expensive executive chair behind his mahogany wooden desk, she placed her hands on his taut shoulders, slowly massaging them until she felt the dog demon relax.

Still, however, his conversation remained solemn and tense.

"I understand, Hideakio. I'll be sure to take care of it. _-pause-_ Yes, I—what?!" InuTaishou's shoulders tensed at his shocked exclamation, and she did her best to assuage his canine temper by pressing her nimble fingers deeper into the fabric of his casual white T-shirt.

_I wonder what they're talking about_, she couldn't help but thinking, glancing over her mate's shoulders while he stared blankly at accounting records before him. _I know it's not entirely about business. _

Alas, the silver-haired dog demon sighed. "That bastard! Just because he can't control his cronies doesn't mean I have to deal with them! _-pause-_ Of course, remedial is necessary...at _once_." There was a pause; perhaps Hideakio was affirming his colleague's words. "Thank you for notifying me. _-pause-_ Ha, I won't be having a good afternoon, though. _-pause-_ Yes, farewell." _Click._

Izayoi leaned her head against her mate's, briefly closing her eyes as she tried her best to calm him—he was often times jovial, yes, but he had a nasty temper. _It comes naturally to dog demons, I suppose. They're territorial, overprotective, and a bit too possessive. _She smiled.

Her husband fit into those categories perfectly.

After a while, InuTaishou softly growled in appreciation, clasping his hand over hers on top of his left shoulder. "Izayoi..." His voice was an octave deeper than normal, as though a heavyweight sat in his throat and denied him the right to speak.

She instantly knew what it meant. Sometimes, she wished she was wrong. "Another mission for our sons, right?" He nodded; he could never keep anything from her. "What's wrong this time?"

"Naraku is a bastard and he deserves to die—that is the only wrong in the world," the dog demon muttered as he rolled his golden eyes and swiveled his chair around, pulling his beautiful and understanding mate into his lap.

Her life as his mate was difficult, and he was aware of it. Hell, if InuTaishou neglected the sentiments of his own mate, he would have already failed her. He loved her...there was no question about it. In order to be where they were today, they had to pass through _many_ different trials and tribulations.

But it only made their love for each other stronger...

...yet, there was a limit to how much a person could love, right?

Of course. How could a woman love a man who constantly sent their sons on missions that deteriorated their unique personalities and tested the boundaries of filial piety each time?

Izayoi was a truly amazing woman to be so accepting of this situation...

Heh, perhaps he was biased, however; his mate had her share of assassinations in her life time. She wasn't exactly merciful, either—she did what was necessary to execute orders. Often times, the dog demon believed his mate was more ruthless than he could ever dream to be...

"Do you have a lead on Naraku?" The dark-haired woman asked, wrapping her arms around the demon's neck before resting her head on his chest. "Is that why you're sending Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha out?"

"It's not actually a lead." InuTaishou embraced the woman even closer to him; he needed her reassurance that he was doing the right thing by using his sons—his flesh and blood—as his henchmen. "Hideakio's CEO stationed in Australia reported mishaps in his and my company branches."

"Mishaps...?" Even though she already surmised what those mishaps were, Izayoi decided that questioning him would help to alleviate his growing fury. The topic of Naraku was never an easy one to discuss.

The dog demon merely nodded. "Once again he has one of his 'employees' stealing millions from the both of us—he has spies in my company and I _loathe_ it. _No_ one insults me in such a manner and lives." The growl in his voice revealed his inner desires: to rip off Naraku's head and stomp on it.

"I see." Izayoi lifted her head and faced her mate with grave violet eyes, apparently comprehending a tidbit of information they often times opted to ignore. It couldn't be neglected; at least, not for long. "You know what Naraku truly desires, my dearest."

Yes, and it was the hardest notion to accept. "Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha will hate me for the rest of their lives if I keep pushing them so far, Izayoi. I cannot...it's a risk to their lives! Not even Hideakio is willing to sacrifice his daughter to that bastard!"

It was completely irrational to suggest that he abandon all ethics and relinquish his legacy to a perverse, mentally ill demon! InuTaishou was probably on the 'Most Hated' lists of his sons—there was no need to skyrocket to their Top Three!

"This feud will never end unless one party abandons his inhibitions."

"Like hell it will be me!"

His voice was bordering on a shout, though Izayoi was unperturbed. She sighed and raked a hand over the smooth skin on his cheek flushed from anger. A sad smile touched her lips. "Did you know, dearest, that we lost our sons the moment they experienced their first kill? Our current efforts to assimilate them into a normal life are useless."

"What the fuck are you trying to say, Izayoi?" InuTaishou barely minded being crass with his mate. Instead of trying to calm him down anymore, she was instead pissing him the hell off!

"I kill by discipline, honor, and loyalty...I live by no bounds and no love...I profit by success..."

His golden eyes widened once he finally understood, and he pulled away from her, gaping in shock. In a swift movement, he lifted her from his lap and stood to pace in front of his desk like a mad man.

"That was years ago..." The dog demon furiously shook his head. "That's not the life—"

"Once an assassin, _always_ an assassin." Her expression allowed no room for emotion. Izayoi walked across the desk and stood before her mate, interrupting his angry pace. "The lives we lead are bound by one thing: sacrifice."

How could she say it so calmly? So goddamn impassively?! InuTaishou stared at her, unable to process her words. In the depths of his mind, however, he knew what he had to do. Yet, accomplishing his goal was a different story altogether.

"Do you know what you're proposing?" He asked in a deadly calm voice, no longer driven by the raw emotion of a father protective of his innocent sons. And yes, his sons were innocent. They were blissfully ignorant of what truly occurred behind their backs. "If I give in to Naraku's demands, _they_ will _never_ forgive us."

"If _they_ discover what we've already done to them, they'll never forgive us, either. But that is the path we chose. Besides, you're underestimating them—they can manage on their own. It's time they surpass their ultimate test."

Test...all of this was a mere test...

...if only they knew...

It took a few minutes to let it sink in, but afterwards, InuTaishou closed his eyes and responded, "Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha will leave for Sydney tonight. They will be accompanied by Miroku and Shippou. Their target is Naraku's spy, Yamimoto Musou."

Izayoi smiled. It was a hard decision, no doubt, but her instincts told her they were making the right choice. Hmph, her instincts never lied. "Good. And how about the Assassin's Daughter?"

"You and Kagome _must_ keep her busy—Hideakio's orders. I will speak to him about our plans later on tonight."

"I'm certain he'll agree."

"My dear mate, that's what I'm afraid of."

**

* * *

**

Her chocolate eyes stared at the crumpled form of her husband lying on the French oak floor, and she sighed in frustration, resisting the urge to whip out a gun and shoot the back of his head. Why was she stuck with an immature puppy for the rest of her life?

Hmph, maybe she should be asking herself why she fell in _love_ with him in the first place.

"Inuyasha..._get_ up." Patience was a virtue—obviously, she was lacking it. Today wasn't her day of compassion, and the hanyou knew. Oh, he knew and he was pissing her off.

The silver-haired half demon lifted his head a few inches from the floor, but neglected to return his impatient wife's glare. If he so much as glanced at her, she'd kill him with one look.

"I don't wanna," he muttered, biting his lip at the pain those words caused his aching head.

Damn hangovers...

Kagome sighed again and crossed her arms; she made sure her hands were tucked away in order to prevent them from strangling the hung-over hanyou. "Look, no one told you to test your alcohol tolerance _last_ night of _all_ nights. But, if you become an obstacle between me and my lunch, you're dead."

And what made it scarier was that she meant it.

Inuyasha groaned, though made no move to lift his body from the floor in his father's mansion. Why was he on the floor? Because on his way to the kitchen, he collapsed in the main hallway and promptly took a ten minute nap. Of course, ten minutes were actually _twenty_.

His wife had been waiting for him ever since...

She probed, kicked, screamed, threatened, and pretty much pinched him, but he refused to budge an inch. He looked like a zombie sprawled on the floor...perhaps he _was_ a zombie in disguise... Inuyasha just hoped Kagome would give up trying to make him stand and leave him in peace where he was.

Well...his hope was pretty much trampled on.

Or straddled, since his wife suddenly decided to take a seat on his chest.

Inuyasha's closed eye lids abruptly burst open and he gaped at the raven-haired woman, whose lips were now a mere hairsbreadth away from his. Her hands covered his wrists, effectively pinning him down, and her chocolate eyes darkened with...lust?! What the hell?!

"K-Ka—" His shock was swallowed by her lips in a split second. He was too dumbfounded to react as she devoured his sensitive flesh with her teeth and tongue, nibbling and sucking until he parted his mouth for her to enter. _Wow, how long has it been since Kagome was this aggressive? _

A millennia at least!

Eventually she pulled away for air, leaving him completely flushed and dazed. A smile tugged at his bruised lips... And here he thought _he_ was the dominant in their relationship! She surely proved him wrong.

"I'm really pissed."

His smile vanished, and Inuyasha gazed up at his wife, noting her frown etched with frustration. Concern immediately washed over him, dampening his arousal, but he furiously pushed it back. Keh! Acting like a damn puppy careening to her every problem was _not_ on his to do list!

Even if he wouldn't mind it... Gods, this was the product of marriage.

"What's up with your pissiness, wench?" He opted instead for the gruff route and scowled once his head enforced the reason why he was on the floor in the first place. _That's it! I'm never drinking forty shots of vodka again._

It was a stupid mistake and a miscalculation on his part.

Kagome rolled her eyes, but ignored the ever present tag note of her husband's sentence: wench. _Hmph, the stupid jerk..._ What mattered, though, was that she had his attention, which was often hard to obtain. "I overheard your father talking to your mother. He said he's sending you and Sesshoumaru on _another_ mission."

"What?!" Inuyasha bit his lips to keep from crying out in pain—dammit! It was like a knife was wedged deeply into his cranium! Shouting in both anger and shock wasn't helping his case! "I just returned from one!"

With the banquet last night, he barely had the chance to relax! It wasn't easy travelling in the freakin' cold, especially in fucking Siberia! And he was suffering from a hangover right now! Geez! No one felt sympathy for him in this place!

_Hey—isn't Sesshoumaru getting married, anyway?_ Why would he be sent on _another_ mission so quickly? _Hmm..._

"I know you just came back! It freakin' pisses me off!" Kagome fought the desire to rip something to shreds. Usually it wasn't in her nature to feel this way, but when it came to her husband, she was always out of character. "It's been two weeks since the last time I saw you! Hell, I haven't even seen you since I picked you up in Russia!"

True...they were so busy, they hadn't shared the same bed in ages. Although he returned from his long trip two days ago, business matters and follow-up missions kept him away from his beloved. _Damn, now that I think about it, I'm pissed, too. _Anyone would be!

When was the last time Kagome, who could win an award for being the nicest woman on the planet, expressed an emotion such as anger?! Nice people were turning into fiends! It was the end of the world and InuTaishou was at the root of it!

"Keh! We'll figure something out, wench," Inuyasha replied with a curt yawn. Adding to his stress list at the moment was definitely out of question. He just wanted food and sleep. Yup, he can have both of those necessities right here on the floor...in the middle of the hallway.

"No! I don't want to 'figure something out'! I want **my** husband in **my** bed _all_ night long! Inuyasha, do you _know_ how long it's been since we slept together? A month! A fucking **MONTH! **And now your father wants to take you away from me **AGAIN!!!"**

Ah, not only was she pissed off, but Kagome was also sexually frustrated.

Not good, since she probably would only settle for 'the entire night' instead of an hour at most, which was all he could spare her. It was now that the hanyou looked at their situation from her point of view, and fleetingly praised her for lasting this long in their marriage without breaking down.

Six years...six years past with them married.

Though, it felt more like only _one_ year.

They've been together for six years and it wasn't all a piece of cake. Sometimes they were in different cities, always apart; others, they were in different countries—different ends of the world. It was mandatory to last days, weeks, or even months separated, and hell, Inuyasha would be lying if he said he wasn't bothered by it.

More often than not, he found himself cursing his father to hell.

During those times, he also cursed himself for sinking so low as to insult the person who created his life. In the end, it was impossible to hate him, much less his dear mother, the woman supporting or advising his father in all of his important decisions.

The life of an assassin, however, was all about sacrifice.

In order to profit as stated by the creed, he needed to live by _no_ bounds and _no_ love...

...obviously, he already failed.

Inuyasha sighed and faced Kagome again, who mulled over nearly the same aspects of their lives. Technically, the twenty-four-year-old woman wasn't an assassin—but she was a damn good secret agent, or in other words, a spy. Even if he longed to quit his job, which was known in his family of assassins as 'expelling', even if Kagome desired to receive a burn notice, this role in their lives became a part of them.

He was an assassin; she was a spy.

It was how they were trained and raised. Quitting was a farfetched dream at the back of their minds. Heh, it would be like knowing how to walk yet suddenly expected not to use legs. It would be like having a mouth yet expected not to eat or speak.

Their lives would literally mean nothing.

"Kagome," for once Inuyasha called her by her name, but she was lost behind a wall of frustration and depression, so she hardly noticed, "I'm sorry. I really am."

"I know." Kagome knew why he was apologizing. No matter how much pressure his father placed on him, the hanyou could never deny him anything. He wasn't like Sesshoumaru and they both acknowledged it—he was incapable of saying no. "I'm sorry, too."

She was sorry because she lacked the guts to stand up to InuTaishou. She was sorry because she allowed herself to be dragged into this cryptic life, constantly hiding her true identity, constantly paranoid...

She was sorry she ever fell in love with an assassin...and this was the first time Kagome ever admitted it.

Inuyasha suppressed a whine in his throat once his wife stood up, withdrawing from him completely, no longer desiring to force him to spend time with her. The forlorn glint in her chocolate eyes caused him to frown, though it seemed as though he was merely scowling like normal.

But he was helpless when it came to easing her pain. Unfortunately, it was the result of being an assassin's son.

So, after she stepped away from him, it came to his notice that she was also giving up her dream of ever enjoying a real, happy marriage. A marriage...that might lead to becoming mates. How he wished he could banish such hopeful thoughts from her mind and merely live in ignorant bliss appreciating the little time they spared one another.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, his ears twitching occasionally as he listened to Kagome walk towards the kitchen...alone. He truly was sorry for their current predicament. If it was in his power to act against his father, he'd seize the chance; but alas, it was only wistful thinking.

Therefore, he was now forced to accept a fact he once fervently rejected.

_Our happy ending isn't coming, Kagome...it never will. _

**

* * *

**

"You're leaving?"

She couldn't believe it...they were engaged for a day and already they were being separated. It was barely processing through her mind that such a thing was possible. Hmph, she'd be lying if she said her heart wasn't currently gripped by an unknown force in her constricting chest.

Sesshoumaru apparently ignored her question as he shuffled about his room, organizing his belongings into a small rolling luggage bag for his 'business trip'. A certain trip lasting seven days...a week...

Their wedding was in a _week_.

His expression was indifferent, as though he wasn't bothered by this sudden predicament. But _she_ was, dammit! Was it too much to ask for to have her fiancé with her at least a _day_ before their wedding? Without him around to help her, she would have to assimilate into the Maebashi family on her _own_.

So far, they seemed like nice people. The lady of the house, Izayoi, was very kind and down to earth; for example, she preferred to cook herself instead of hiring professional help. Always smiling, the woman in her mid-forties—though she appeared to be in her twenties due to mating a demon—greatly complemented her jovial husband and mate, InuTaishou.

For some reason, the dog demon delighted in the mental torture of his sons...

Then came Inuyasha—AKA Nincompoop—and his wife, Kagome. The raven-haired woman was also very kind, yet she didn't hesitate to keep her haughty husband in check... People would say the poor hanyou was...well, _whipped_. But they were a good couple, and their love was apparent in the way they talked, smiled, and overall remained by the other's side.

Rin sighed and took a seat on her fiancé's bed, watching him fold and pack numerous pieces of apparel into the black suitcase. She absentmindedly observed his hands as they worked diligently and quickly since the family jet was actually departing in a _half_-hour. His long fingers were nimble, tipped with sharp claws that could immediately betray friend or foe, and she remembered how they felt trailing over her skin like smooth velvet...

...how _right_ it felt...

Her cinnamon eyes lifted and scrutinized his emotionless face throughout his task. She knew he wasn't truly 'emotionless', like everyone else wished to believe; it just came natural to him. It was like how she was always happy, even considering her secret career.

Or...was she merely hiding behind a mask of false happiness? If that was true, then Sesshoumaru was also hiding behind a mask of apathy. They were complete opposites, and yet, ironically, they held so much in common...they were the only ones who completely understood each other. Even though...Sesshoumaru was unaware of her empathy.

Rin's lips twisted in a sardonic smile. _Yeah, we're definitely one in the same._

And it was for reasons she could never reveal to Sesshoumaru...at least not yet.

The twenty-three-year-old woman was suddenly overcome with bitter sadness, and it overwhelmed her enough to threaten tears in her eyes. Gods, here she was, in his home, his room, his life—here she was betraying his trust by collaborating with her father.

Here she was...bearing the same secrets as the one she was to marry.

What would he do if he ever found out?

Kill her...beat her...leave her...but what would hurt the most was his loss of trust in her.

_I'm so stupid_, Rin thought, bringing a hand to her face, covering her eyes in shame. _My father decides to test my skills as an assassin and I'm already failing. What does this say about me? Have my twenty-three years of life been a total waste? I don't know Sesshoumaru and yet, I...I—_

"Rin." She gasped when a warm hand clasped around her wrist and gently pried her hand away from her face, allowing the greedy tears to escape from pools of liquid cinnamon. A finger lifted her chin, and she unwillingly met her fiancé's concerned gaze.

Concerned..._ Gods, Stranger, why do you waste your time with me?_ The tears kept falling, but she could do nothing to stop them. She was a fragile mess; her years of stress and harsh training all amounted to this one brief lapse of control. _I'm weak. Father knows I'm weak. My emotions shouldn't be involved—ever!_

Perhaps that was why she was on this mission...because she needed to grow stronger...

Apathetic...she needed to become apathetic...a trait Sesshoumaru already mastered.

"Rin," the dog demon repeated, sitting closely beside her, using his free hand to wipe the tears steadily spewing over her cheeks. She suppressed a sob at his tender actions, so rare she wished to trap them in a tangible diamond and keep it forever sealed in her heart. "I can't leave my future wife in this state. Why are you upset all of a sudden?"

_Because in reality, I'm a heartless bitch._ Of course, she couldn't voice her thoughts. "I-I'm just...PMSing. Nothing se-erious..." It was a viable excuse—she was usually emotional during her time of the month.

Sesshoumaru, however, remained gazing at her, and for a moment, Rin panicked. She knew he saw through her blatant lie, but the last thing she wanted was a confrontation. No, it was alright to live behind a wall of lies until it was time to demolish it.

Right?

Yet, it came as a complete shock to her when the dog demon suddenly drew away only to wrapped his arms around her, hugging her flush against his chest. Her tears instantly abated due to her immense surprise, and her lips parted in a gape once his head rested atop of hers.

"We both have secrets we can't share—we established that when we first met," Sesshoumaru began in a low whisper resonating in Rin's ears. "I will never completely trust you; I admit it. But...my burden will be easier to bear if I allow someone to aid me, correct?"

Rin bit her lip. This reminded her of the conversation—or disagreement—they had in Moscow. She pointed out his burden, yet he denied it. It seemed like it was no longer the case. "Y-Yes..." _Just you holding me like this makes mine easier..._

"You once told me I'm a good person. Do you still believe that?"

For the life of her, Rin couldn't discern the direction of this conversation. "Yes." _Of course I do, and I always will...despite the skeletons in your closet._ She bit back a smile; it might be quite literal, in a way.

"And I told you...you're wrong."

_Not this nonsense again!_ "But you—!"

"Rin, do you believe yourself to be a good person?"

What would he accomplish by asking her all these questions? Rin didn't know how to answer, or even what to think. Her mind totally blanked and rendered her in a sort of trance as she unblinkingly stared into her fiancé's chest.

How was she supposed to answer? _I...I don't know what I think of myself._ With the life she led, it was impossible to believe she was a follower of ethical views and venerated life. So then, in order to answer his question, she first needed to define 'a good person'.

Apparently, Sesshoumaru deduced her answer through the tense silence hanging over them. "You don't believe you're a good person..." Rin failed to deny it. "So, does this automatically mean you're a _bad_ person?"

"I...don't know. I _don't_ know..." It was the only answer she knew at this point.

"Well, if I believe you're a good person, and if you believe I'm a good person, then we're a pair of good people. Good people support each other, right?" He pulled back enough to gaze at her face. "There comes a point in life where existence is filled with many adversaries. During those times, it is prudent to have someone close by."

Rin couldn't describe the cartwheels her heart was performing, or the crunches her stomach decided would be wise to forego. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton while the dog demon's compelling voice flowed inside her mind, eradicating malevolent webs trapping her benign hope.

He had to be some kind of...of magician to make her feel so unlike her usual self!

Sesshoumaru cupped the young woman's cheek, gliding the pad of his thumb over her rosy lips. She almost shuddered in desire. "Rin...from now on, I swear to be that person, your Stranger, and I'll allow you to be my Sunshine."

Before she could respond, he captured her lips in a chaste kiss, so tender she nearly cried in absolute joy. Rin wove her arms behind his neck, pressing him closer to her, returning his ministrations, his promise...

Perhaps she wasn't a good person.

Perhaps she knew more than she would let on

Perhaps she was and would become a lying whore.

But, for once in her life, she knew something about herself.

Rin wasn't alone anymore.

_No, not anymore..._

* * *

**A/N: END! Is that sappy, fluffy, or just plain 'ol corny? :-D I think it's a mixture of all three, but I need it that way for a reason you will note by chapter eight! I'm sexy, oh yeah, oh yeah--LOL! BURN NOTICE!!! I don't even watch that show...**

Next chapter:** Well, Sessh and Inu and crew (what crew?) go on a mission while Rin and the ladies (what ladies?) go wedding dress hunting... Inu gets to show off his sadistic side, which can be worse than even Sessh's...heheheh...**

**Sooo...how is Inuyasha more sadistic than the Sadist? Will Rin find a dress in time for her wedding in a week? Why is my dog so cute? Why is Izayoi so cunning? Is InuTaishou whipped just like his youngest son? Exactly what does Naraku want with Inu, Sessh, and Rin? Will Kagome ever get 'the whole night' with Inu? Can I get the whole night with Inu? **

**Nah, Sessh will get jealous... :-D And I think Kagome knows more than she lets on...just think about that for a week or two... **

**BYEZ! I LOVE YOU ALL! BUT REVIEW AND I'LL SHARE SESSH WITH YOU!**

**Not. **


	7. Kiss of the Reaper

**A/N: I'M ALIVE! WOOT! SCHOOL IS OVER ON JUNE 4! I CAN'T WAIT! So, I'm not gonna rant much... I saw Terminator Salvation and I loved it... GODS! So many hot guys in that movie! I'm gonna have to go to Australia, kidnap a guy, and bring him to America! "Oh, so you're awake? Uhuh, yeah you're in America now. No no, you can't go back to Australia. Why? Because I forced you to marry me and we're gonna live in a city now. Yes, you're cooking dinner tonight." LOL! **

**What does Australia have to do with Terminator? The actor who plays Marcus is Australian...if you pay close attention, the actor has a slight accent at times! And I didn't know Christian Bale was British until I saw him in an interview! WOW! His unaccented voice is sexy--can you imagine his British voice? :-D **

**Wow...I said I wasn't going to rant...**

**THANKS TO **raptor-akida** FOR SHOWING SUPPORT AND REVIEWING AGAIN! YOU DESERVE A PRIZE AS DO ALL OF MY REVIEWERS! :-D **

Disclaimer: **I DO NOT OWN THE SONG** Change (in the House of Flies) **BY Deftones! :-D It's a really good song, though! I swear the lead singer is having an orgasm while he's singing!**

WARNING:** Inuyasha is OOC! It's not that I don't know how to write him in character, it's just that I need him to be overly sadistic. This will be explained next chapter. **

**Enjoy the chappie! **

* * *

**Assassin's Daughter 7**

* * *

"Do you think she's awake?"

"It doesn't seem like it..."

"Should we wake her, then?"

"As long as she doesn't chew us up. I promised Inuyasha I'd stay alive for at least a week."

"Hm, good point."

Rin was dimly aware of two people looming over her, whispering amongst themselves as though she couldn't hear them. In actuality, they disturbed her wonderful dream involving her, Sesshoumaru, and a game of Go Fish... Of course, she had been winning, and they were playing _Strip_ Go Fish.

But, in the end, it was only a dream.

"Is she waking up now?"

"I'm not sure. Why don't you check?"

"InuTaishou warned me not to get killed while he's away in Sapporo."

"Geez, what's wrong with our husbands? It's not like we'd blow up the mansion."

"I did that once..."

"...?"

"It's a long story, dear."

The annoying voices were coming from two familiar women, so they posed no threat to her. Rin sighed and snuggled deeper into the silk-covered pillows wrapped in her arms; they smelled like Stranger and she missed him... She could never get enough of his scent—was it some type of cologne?

Whatever it was, it made him smell good...

At some point, however, Rin realized she should at least open her eyes and face the two women preventing her from falling back to sleep. It _had_ to be early in the morning—who was awake at this hour?!

Excluding these two women, obviously...

"_-yawn-_ I'm becoming tired by just watching her sleep..."

"Yeah, me too." Another yawn followed. "Okay, Izayoi, we _have_ to wake her up!"

"Yes, we can't stay here forever!"

"Sooo..."

"Right..."

They hesitated to wake her up, but Rin mentally shook her head at their antics and cracked an eye open. She might as well relieve these women from their torture despite her longing to dream about Sesshoumaru half-naked again. "I'm awake already, sheesh! Next thing I know, you'll blow the house up just to wake me up..."

Now that she was fully aware of her surroundings, the cinnamon-eyed woman noticed that the two women were Izayoi and Kagome, the sole two Maebashi wives she had the pleasure of meeting. Yet, why in the world were they in her room at—she glanced at the digital alarm clock on her nightstand—approximately six in the morning?

"Rin! Thank goodness you're awake!" Kagome grinned and turned to her mother-in-law. "See, that wasn't so difficult!" She acted as though she _made_ an effort to awaken her future sister-in-law...

Izayoi shrugged before she also glanced at the digital alarm clock now reading 6:13 AM. Her violet eyes nearly escaped from their sockets with her loud gasp. "Kagome, we're late! We promised Kirara we'd be there at six!"

"Who's Kirara?" Rin asked with a stifled yawn, though she was comfortable in her—well, Sesshoumaru's—bed, so she wasn't about to get up. _Hm, I wonder what he would say if he finds out I slept on his bed without his permission... _

Well, she had done so before and he didn't seem to mind... Besides, his bed was comfy...

"Kirara's a family friend," Kagome briefly explained, but she hauled Rin out of the bed with the help of her mother-in-law before the cinnamon-eyed woman could protest. "Come on, your appointment was fifteen minutes ago!"

"My what?" Did she forget one of her doctor appointments again?

Somehow, Rin figured that wasn't the case.

**

* * *

**

_This isn't right... _

It constantly bit at his sixth sense, alerting him to the danger awaiting. But what danger? He was never apprehensive during a mission—he was intensely trained _not_ to be. But something wasn't right! He knew it!

_This entire mission isn't right..._

Sesshoumaru briefly shut his eyes and flipped over on his king-sized bed—yes, a bed _finally_ accommodated his height. He propped his head up with his right hand before fixing his apathetic gaze upon his group members. A sigh escaped his lips at the firm looks of concentration he found on their faces.

Apparently, he was the only one feeling anxious.

All three of them were diligently working for a change—it surprised him immensely. His brother, the laziest one in the group, was intently looking over information gathered from their target over the last few days. Well, he had a knack for stalking people...

Ah, Shippou, a foolish fox demon, was also busy with work; he was analyzing floor plans in the building the 'target', AKA Yamimoto Musou, worked in. The skill came naturally to him because he was an architect—who else knew the engineering language? Both he and Inuyasha were lounging on his bed for some odd reason...

...hopefully they'd all leave soon.

And then there was Miroku. He wasn't much of an assassin not unlike Shippou, yet he was the doctor of the group, meaning he took care of wounds dealt during missions. Though, besides that, he had another use: informing.

If the police were on their way, it was the dark-haired human's job to tell the group via earphones. If an enemy was quickly approaching to an unknown group member, Miroku was always there to save the day.

Currently, the lecherous—_extremely_ lecherous—agent, for the lack of a better word in Sesshoumaru's mind, was leaning against the bed as he typed swiftly on his laptop, sitting in full lotus position. Heh, his years spent in a Buddhist monastery were apparent...

Anyway, his three group members were boring Sesshoumaru to death. Why wasn't he also working? Because he was the Sadist—he killed people. He was the one to take a gun and make bang-bang noises with it. Even though Inuyasha was an assassin as well, he was a sniper; the only up-close jobs he performed were _special_ cases.

However, in this mission the hanyou would be the one performing the close quarters assassination, or so their father ordered. _Then why am I here?_ It fell beyond the dog demon's reasoning.

"Can I share something with you guys?" Shippou's tentative voice snapped the silver-haired assassin out of his brooding, and he flicked his cold golden honey eyes over to the kitsune, who was lying on his stomach at the other end of the bed.

_He sounds apprehensive._ Sesshoumaru narrowed his gaze. _Could he have noticed _it_ as well? _The 'it' that was as of yet unknown and dangerous...foreboding and ominous...

"Yeah, I want to say something, too." Inuyasha was the next person to break the silence with his gruff voice, though his eyes were still intently focused on the pile of papers scattered in front of him. He sighed and shifted to lie on his back without crumpling the files. "You go first, Kit-bitch."

"Alright, here's the speaking order: Shippou, Inuyasha, and then me. Not unless you also desire to have an input, Sesshoumaru?" Miroku stopped typing for a moment to glance at the reticent dog demon, who merely shook his head. "Okay. Shippou, please continue."

"Thanks, 'Roku," Shippou sighed, rolling up the several floor plans of Maebashi Corp. Sydney before setting them aside. "I think we're being duped. No, let me rephrase that: I think _you_ two," he pointed at Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, "are being duped."

_So I'm truly not the only one who noticed._ This posed a problem for Sesshoumaru. If it wasn't just his own paranoia, then something must be wrong, right? But what _was_ it? _Father... _Could his father be fooling him? His agenda was indubitably unknown, that was for certain.

Inuyasha fleetingly cursed all higher entities under his breath prior to moving his clawed hand to cool his flustering forehead. "I _know_ that! First Dad sent me to Russia to get some piece of shit diamond, then he sent Sesshoumaru to France to do the same; he sent Kagome to freakin' Ireland, and now he sends us to Australia—what the hell?!"

His father _never_ ordered assassinations just because two foreign bastards stole the diamonds he coveted! The gems were all useless anyway—it wasn't like money was an issue! If he desired trophies, InuTaishou might as well cut his balls off, paint them sparkly colors, and pretend they were his fucking precious diamonds!

"I agree. This seems a bit suspicious," Miroku remarked as he shut his laptop and stood to take a seat beside Shippou on Sesshoumaru's hotel room bed. "It's like he's trying to keep you both busy and away from home."

"And he's suddenly marrying Sesshoumaru off, supposedly as a business merger. InuTaishou only forced Inuyasha to marry Kagome because her old man was a damn good spy and she's his legacy." Shippou was incredulous of his boss's orders. What in the world was he planning?!

Obviously, InuTaishou's missions for his sons _had_ to benefit his family of assassins to a certain degree. With Kagome in his family, he obtained a spy to send to other countries and attain secret information to his liking. But...when it came to Sesshoumaru's engagement, it was impossible to find the _true_ reason behind the whole marriage.

Miroku was thinking along the same lines. He placed a hand on his chin in contemplation before asking, "Well, I haven't personally met her, but does your future wife have something your father might desire, Sesshoumaru?"

The silver-haired dog demon mulled over the inquiry. Sunshine was Osaka Rin, the daughter of Osaka Hideakio, owner of Osaka Corp., which rivaled his father's Maebashi Corp. The two men were childhood friends and decided to merge their companies in order to compete against a growing capitalist, Sumeragi Naraku.

Somehow, the obscure demon always managed to weasel his way into his opponents' companies and ruin their financial stability as an _insult_. By banding together in a common cause, InuTaishou and Hideakio could strive to put Naraku out of business by utilizing a large monopoly.

Normal enough.

Yet, since the two tycoons were childhood friends, then a merger between them wouldn't necessarily need to be finalized by a marriage—that was indubitable. His father hardly placed his trust in people, but he and Hideakio were two cunning bastards—two of a kind.

There was _definitely_ an ulterior motive rolling in their clever minds...

Sesshoumaru truthfully didn't know what Rin had to do with Naraku, or anything involving her father's company, for the matter. Unless...not unless she would take over after the businessman's death... _No, impossible. She hardly seems like the type to enjoy such tedious affairs like business. _Heh, especially with her hidden temper and childlike tendencies—she'd lose her mind in only one three-hour financial meeting.

So...InuTaishou couldn't possibly think she was worth securing into their family. Well sure, she had one heck of a personality, and Rin was alluring in her own way, but...

...in his eyes, she was a nobody.

She was just an innocent, oblivious bystander...a _none_ assassin. She was blatantly mismatched among the Maebashi family's dexterous and discreet professional killers.

"It is improbable that Rin would be a benefit to Father," Sesshoumaru responded after a few moments, though even he noticed his uncertainty. "He must be thinking of linking Hideakio to himself—he trusts no one, remember?"

"Keh! That's bullshit! If it had anything to do with Hideakio, then Dad would've already sent Kagome or me to spy on him _ages_ ago. Hell, I think Hideakio is plotting _with_ Dad!" Inuyasha refused to believe his father was innocently merging his business to increase profits!

Hmph! He wouldn't be a successful businessman if he lacked an alternative intention!

"Yeah, and from what Inuyasha gathered, Musou is just another sleazy scum bag living off of prostitutes. The money he's stealing from Maebashi and Osaka Corps. are for his _own_ gratification, _not_ Naraku's. For some reason, he severed ties with Sumeragi Inc." Shippou scratched his head, completely bewildered. "Down to the core, this mission hardly involves Naraku! I'm so confused!"

If InuTaishou desired to remove the pesky parasite from his company, he could have at _least_ fired Musou and _then_ order his assassination! Even so, sending his most capable band of hitmen on this mission was utterly useless!

"Okay, let's think about it this way. Inuyasha, when was the last time you saw Kagome before your Russia mission?" Miroku faced his best friend, who blinked dumbly, still lying on his back.

"Uh...that mission lasted two weeks, so...yeah, two weeks. And there was only a two-day interlude between my recent Russia mission and the Germany mission before."

Shippou gaped. He couldn't fathom how the hanyou motivated himself without 'alone time' with his wife...or a woman...or just plain ol' sex. "Excluding the interlude, you haven't been with your wife in _how_ long?"

"...a month."

"What the fuck?! Damn, I feel bad for Lil' Inu! Poor Lil' Inu got no jingling time—it can't go 'peep peep'."

"Sesshou-bastard...shoot me please."

The older dog demon regarded his inferior with icy yet amused eyes. "Would you like me to shoot Lil' Inu as well, little brother?"

"Fuck off! Dammit, Shippou, I'll kill you!" Heh, the blush on the hanyou's face told no lies about his current mental state...

Meanwhile, Shippou's calm expression betrayed his cackling counterpart. "What? It's true! I mean, if Miroku was in your place—"

"Don't say such horrid things, my friend!" Miroku shook his head to rid himself of the forbidden images. "I could _never_ survive _that_ long without Sango! It would be the death of me! Her beauty is like the sun that wakes me in the morning; her divine body is the luxur—"

"Monk, you're digressing." Sesshoumaru had warned the human not to digress into one of his perverted rants about his beloved wife... Of course, he never issued idle threats to people—it was rude. "From listening to all your griping and whining, it seems like Father is trying to separate Inuyasha and Kagome."

"No fucking way!" Inuyasha bolted upright, his golden amber eyes wide in shock. "W-What's he gonna gain by doing that?!" After the six years he spent with his wife, there was no way in hell he was leaving her! He _loved_ her!

Yet...assassins were supposed to shun love in order to be successful...

Ah! It finally dawned on Shippou! The heavens shined down on him with an open gateway to...oh, it was only the fires from hell again. Never mind. "_Weeell_...it's story time!" The other three in the room merely stared at him, and the kitsune huffed. "Geez, you guys had no childhoods!"

"I spent my childhood shooting mosquitoes and stabbing frogs—thank you for noticing." Inuyasha and Miroku readily agreed with Sesshoumaru; mosquitoes were vexing winged demons from the netherworld while frogs were their barbaric slaves.

"No wonder you're all emotionally disturbed..." Shippou muttered, but shrugged. He spent his childhood conning people for their money. "Anyway, once upon a time there lived a hanyou and his wife. After six years together, the hanyou and wife obviously fell in love and crap."

"You're a _horrible_ story teller, Kit-bitch!"

The kitsune ignored his haughty silver-haired friend. "One day, the hanyou got tired of his problematic life as an assassin. He wanted to frolic beyond the rainbow with his twenty pups—oh, and with his wife, too. But this was bad news for Inu-papa, the hanyou's father."

Inuyasha's eyes were twitching. _Frolicking? Inu-papa? Twenty pups?!_ He was going to _kill_ the damn architect... Gods, twenty little brats?! Kagome would prefer to kill him first!

"So, the hanyou and his wife ran off together, abandoned Inu-papa and their secret lives, and lived happily ever after over the rainbow. The end."

"That was wonderful!" Miroku wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled. It was the best, most romantic story he had ever heard in his entire twenty-five years of life! Gods, he hoped it would be made into a movie one day--he wanted to star in the leading role! "I just love happy endings!"

Err...the others were merely staring at him... Shippou and Inuyasha refused to comment while Sesshoumaru wondered if it was a good idea to keep a gun under his pillow for easy access...

The ex-monk soon cleared his throat before becoming serious again. What a great actor... "Now it's my turn to tell a story."

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha couldn't fathom why these two morons insisted on narrating strange stories, but the wheels were alas avidly turning in their heads despite all the stupidity surrounding them. It finally sunk in that it would be bad news for InuTaishou if one of his sons finally decided to expel from his band of assassins...

Hell, the notion was _forbidden_ in the code of honor Maebashi assassins followed.

"Okay, 'Roku! We're ready for ya!" Shippou grinned and handed the spotlight to his dark-haired friend, who inclined his head in thanks. They were truly peculiar people—no wonder they secretly worked for InuTaishou. "Crap, I wish I had some popcorn..."

Yup, he was weird.

"Long, long ago...there lived a dog demon named Inu-papa, who had two sons named Yashie and Sesshy, and was mated to a beautiful woman named Izzy." The two brothers reclining on the bed with narrowed eyes growled simultaneously at Miroku's choice of names. "However...Inu-papa and Izzy were once assassins working with a man named Hidea—err, Hideko!"

"Oh my gods! This is getting dramatic!" A certain auburn-haired kitsune gushed, clasping his hands in excitement. "I can't wait! I bet Izzy cheats on Inu-papa with Hideko!"

Inuyasha growled in fury—they were talking about his parents! Argh! "Stop acting like a brainless fuck-puppet, Kit-bitch, and shut the hell up!"

"Sorry, I forgot to mention when Izzy had a lovechild with Hideko named Inu-bitch..."

**"What?!** I'm gonna—!"

"Just continue, Monk," Sesshoumaru directed after bonking his brother on the head. He received a murderous glare, but then again, it was ineffective since he was a murderer himself. Hmph, his brother needed a life.

Miroku sighed. Sometimes he detested his codename—Monk. Oh well. "Anyway, they all shared one common enemy from their assassin days: an evil demon by the name of Naku-chan. Naku-chan was a huge threat, so Inu-papa trained his sons to become great assassins. Yet, Yashie and Sesshy didn't realize that Naku-chan actually coveted _them_..."

"Wait—you mean coveted as in he wanted to force them to become his sex slaves or he was just jealous?" Shippou was substantially confused and cocked his head to one side. Hey, he only wished to comprehend the story!

"I suppose it can go both ways..." Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru barely hid their disgust. "So, Inu-papa wanted to keep this information from his sons by always keeping them busy—he just couldn't bear to hand over his precious little Yashie and Sesshy. Hideko was also being harassed with his own daughter, who was a beautiful maiden Naku-chan desired..."

"I'll shove my gun up his damn desire if that bastard ever—" Sesshoumaru stopped in mid-sentence and stared at his other three group members. They all gazed back in astonishment and shock—it wasn't everyday that he uttered vehement threats because his property was threatened. "What? Am I not allowed to rant about my guns?"

His cold honey golden eyes narrowed, daring any one of them to challenge him. Thankfully, not even his annoying brother wished to initiate a tedious and _fatal_ battle. Now all he had to do was control his possessiveness over Rin... Was it possible to eradicate his canine traits?

Probably not.

"Um..." Miroku was at loss for words; he had expected something similar coming from Inuyasha, yet not his _apathetic_ older sibling of _all_ people. "Well...to sum it all up, Naku-chan is a strange, bisexual bastard. In the end, Izzy convinced Inu-papa and Hideko to give into his demands. However, one day, Yashie's wife, Kaggie, a spy, discovered Inu-papa's secret and told everyone else."

Shippou, as always, responded like a hyperactive five year-old. "Wow! Kaggie is _sooo_ smart! She's my hero! Err...I meant heroine... Wow, I was totally thinking of heroin the drug right now..."

"I feel like blowing up this place..." Inuyasha muttered, having shifted onto his side in order to face his friends better. He held his head up with his left clawed hand as his right one drummed along the soft hunter green comforter of Sesshoumaru's hotel bed. "Hm...where in the world can I find a miniature grenade at short notice?"

Sesshoumaru restrained himself from replying, 'Ask the Assassin's Daughter' and merely huffed. He was officially obsessed. Yes. Rin would surely die out of utter _happiness_ if he told her he was obsessed with a mysterious woman.

Dear Lord...he momentarily forgot she was an angry _insane_ woman... He was never telling her! End of story!

"Yes, Kaggie is amazing and beautiful with _perfect_ curves! Gods, I want to—" One glance at Inuyasha's expression had Miroku gulping nervously. _Stay away from your wife, I get it_. "Okay, now everyone knew about Naku-chan's attempt at revenge. They all plotted against Inu-papa, beat up Naku-chan, and expelled. Yashie and Sesshy left home and ran off towards the horizon. The end!"

Silence...

Shippou abruptly coughed...ahem, yeah... "That doesn't explain why Inu-papa would be trying to separate Yashie and Kaggie."

"Well, maybe somewhere in the mess Kaggie became pregnant and Inu-papa found out."

More silence...

"You know what, Monk," Inuyasha began, his voice light and carefree as a smile formed on his lips. His golden amber eyes brightened in delight. "I'm going to kill you. **DIE!!!"**

**"NO!** HAVE MERCY!!! SANGO! **I NEED YOU!!!"**

And while Inuyasha mauled Miroku to the floor and proceeded to 'kill' him—at some point Shippou was captured by the berserk hanyou as well—Sesshoumaru quietly dozed off, wondering what his fiancée was currently doing...

Hopefully she was faring better than he was surrounded by these rambunctious idiots.

Then again...it would be fun to video tape them killing each other and then sell it on eBay...

* * *

Unfortunately, Rin, unbeknownst to her of course, was _not_ faring any better than Sesshoumaru was. Why? Well, women were strange phenomena...especially women associated with the prestigious Maebashi family...

"Kagome! Pearl white is obviously _not_ the same as ivory white! How can you say they're the same?!"

"Kirara, I don't think anyone will notice the difference."

"Ha! _I_ will and I'm the majority!"

"Geez! Calm down, woman! We're not all color experts like you!"

"Grr! Be quiet, Sango!"

"I think the eggshell white is absolutely _gorgeous_ for a wedding dress!"

"Izayoi! Eggshell white is horrendous!"

"Oh...then don't mind me, dear."

Rin sighed, sitting directly in the midst of a soon-to-be cat fight between four uptight women. Hmph, it was quite literally because one of them happened to be a neko demon... Anyway, where was she surrounded by these women attempting to choose the perfect color?

A designer boutique, specifically one owned by Kirara.

Yup, Kirara turned out be the famous owner of chains of exquisite boutiques all over Japan, America, and Europe, especially in France. Rin had heard of the talented young designer—heck, she even wore her clothes sometimes—but she never imagined herself sitting in the blonde youkai's original Tokyo boutique sifting through numerous wedding gown designs.

Right...her arranged wedding was in four days and she needed a dress...

The cinnamon-eyed woman glanced at the booklet opened on her lap, and then her gaze shifted to her once again arguing friends. Sango, another family friend accompanying the wedding dress hunt, was heatedly bickering with Kirara over the notion of matching lingerie colors with the dress.

How the discussion evolved to _that_ topic, Rin didn't want to know.

Kagome was seconds away from ripping her raven strands of hair off her head in frustration, practically glaring holes into her own little booklet. Her future sister-in-law agreed that this was a stressful occasion... Yet, Izayoi seemed to be the only one having fun with their current predicament; the content smile on her attractive face revealed it all.

"Okay, we've been here how long? An hour already?" Kagome was tired of all the arguing! Not even her own wedding had been so stressful! Then again, her mother chose her dress... "I don't want to end up hibernating in your shop, Kirara. Just let Rin decide what color she wants to wear so we can finally go out to lunch."

And as though she was a magnet, all eyes shifted towards Rin, who blinked at the sudden attention. She had merely assumed everyone ignored her in favor of their personal wedding gown tastes; actually, she liked that idea... A nervous smile curved her lips—she was playing it safe with her voracious, yes _voracious_ friends.

"Fine," Kirara at last grumbled, yet brightened as she took a seat beside Rin on the comfortable couch in her boutique's planning area. It was frightening to the younger woman how the couch matched the neko's scarlet irises... "So, what color will you be wearing, Rin?"

_I don't know..._ Wasn't that why she was here with other women hopefully experienced enough to guide her in the right direction? Truthfully, she didn't know the difference between eggshell white and pearl white. _But I can't say that to Kirara out loud._

It would be tragic if Sesshoumaru returned from his trip fiancée-less...

"You're not answering..." Kirara cocked her head in confusion. Rin was just staring back at her with blank cinnamon eyes. The neko youkai faced her haughty best friend with a frown on her beautiful face. "Was I not nice enough, Sango?"

The chestnut-haired woman huffed and crossed her arms, rolling her hazelnut eyes. She sat to Kirara's right, while Kagome sat to Rin's left and Izayoi to her daughter-in-law's left. "You intimidate all of your customers, intentionally or not. Why don't you let the poor girl try on a few dresses and worry about colors later?"

"That's a wonderful idea! I love dress fittings!" Not that Izayoi was being fitted for a wedding dress, but she enjoyed offering advice!

"Hell, at this point _I_ don't even know what I'm going to wear in _four_ days," Kagome mumbled under her breath, shaking her head. Rin giggled, having heard her, but refrained from commenting. "Why couldn't InuTaishou and Hideakio wait at least a _month_ to announce this 'marriage merger'?"

Did they truly expect a marriage to be planned in only a week? _Heh, a wedding can be arranged in a day with their power and influence..._ She knew from experience, truthfully. No one had informed her that she was going to marry Inuyasha until the night before—needless to say, Kagome had freaked out.

Izayoi chuckled as though the question was utterly obvious. Living with a dog demon taught her a few things about her husband's impulsiveness... "Technically, everything was already planned, so there was no reason to wait. Besides, you know how Inuyasha does everything on a sudden whim? It's a trait from his father."

But the violet-eyed woman loved the big dummies anyway!

Kagome nodded in agreement. _True, I can't take Inuyasha to the mall—he's a compulsive shopper._ Gods, it was worse when they went to the supermarket and just happened to stroll down the ramen aisle! _Ramen is financial suicide once Inuyasha is involved._

"Alright, people! Listen up!" Kirara abruptly clapped her hands, drawing everyone's eyes towards her. It was only now that Izayoi and Kagome noticed the hefty book occupying Rin's entire lap—poor child, it must have weighed a ton. "I just handed Rin the Holy Book of Glorious Gowns!"

Silence...

"_-sigh-_ This is your cue to gasp." Everyone gasped in mock shock, and Izayoi even put a hand to her forehead, feigning dizziness.

Kirara rolled her fiery eyes, yet refrained from commenting. These were the usual antics of her friends, either way. "Moving on. Rin will pick at least five dresses to try on and model for us, so please stay in your seats! In the meantime, you guys can go ahead and choose your own dresses." Geez, what was she—a professional announcer?

Or that was what Kagome thought...

"Well, I actually planned ahead and ordered my dress a few days ago..." The timid voice came from Izayoi, who only grinned brightly at the scowl she was met with. _Whoops, I shouldn't have said that._ "But I do love your designs, dear!"

"You cheated on me...I can't believe it..."

"Get over it," Sango muttered. Apparently, today was not her best of days. The brunette held her head up with one hand as she glared at the neko, her eyes dark and menacing. "I'm tired, hungry, and I have to finish going over a briefing for tomorrow. I'd appreciate it if we hurried up this 'dress fitting'."

Ah, the life of a lawyer. It didn't help that her husband was a doctor currently away on a 'business trip' in Australia... Of course, Sango knew it was better to keep from complaining about InuTaishou's strange missions while his mate was present. Izayoi was kind, but, like everyone else, her career came first, even though she was on a _long_ hiatus.

And what was her career?

Hmph, it wasn't a secret.

Rin quirked her eyebrows at the huge book sitting on her lap, making her legs seem dwarf-sized in comparison. _Hmph, who can look through this crap in a day?_ There _had_ to be at least a thousand pages! Yet, with the awaiting stares bearing into her, she gulped and nervously smiled.

_I'm officially doomed. _

**

* * *

**

His indigo eyes scanned his surroundings, and his lips curved into a satisfied smirk. The 'night club' was well hidden underground, and the dim lighting of the subterranean place barred his face to people who might recognize him. Perfect. After all, he didn't want to be bothered on a Friday night—he only wanted to spend his money.

Right...it wasn't _his_ to begin with.

_The Maebashi family is ridiculous,_ he thought, his smirk transforming into a smug grin, revealing his glistening straight white teeth. _It's so easy to swindle money off of that overgrown mutt's company. I wonder if he noticed yet..._

Even if he _did_ notice, there was no possible way he could be traced as the origin. Besides, Maebashi InuTaishou was after his former employer: Naraku. He didn't have the time to deal with small fry like him. _And he's a billionaire—surely he won't notice the loss of a few millions here and there._

"Is this seat taken?"

Musou frowned at the smooth, deep voice that resonated in almost perfect English from his left, and he glanced at the source, eyeing the demon standing in front of an empty seat at his table. There were numerous empty tables in the club; entry was highly selective and only a few people littered the place.

Nonetheless, the demon's expressionless face betrayed his true intentions. What would it hurt to let him sit at his table? Perhaps by the end of the night, he could con this tall, dark-haired man into buying him a drink.

"No, it's not. Go ahead and sit." Musou picked up his martini glass and sipped its strong contents before setting it back on the black marble-top table. It amazed him how the tables had marble tops... "Are you a local?" Not that he sounded like an Australian local...

"Actually, I'm just here on business. A friend from the office told me to meet him here, but I suppose he had other matters to attend to," the demon replied smoothly, his expressionless mask never faltering. Musou narrowed his eyes. _Is this guy for real?_ "And you?"

"I've been living here for a year already. I work for a large company in the city."

"Interesting." The demon's glossy lavender eyes shifted to the north end of the club where a stage was set up, a purple curtain hiding whatever or whoever was on it. Musou's gaze merely remained trained on the demon, suspicious. "I wonder if there will be live entertainment tonight."

"What's your name?" Musou asked instead, cutting right to the chase. _Like hell I'm beating around the bush with this damn small talk. _

"Sesshoumaru."

The name struck fear in his heart and his indigo eyes widened considerably. _N-No fucking way!_ Wait—the Sesshoumaru he knew, the damn doggy bastard son of InuTaishou, had long silver hair and golden eyes. This demon had fashionably cropped sable hair and lavender eyes; obviously the two were not the same.

_Then again, Sesshoumaru isn't a common name. Seriously, who would name their son 'the killing perfection'?_ "And your surname?"

Apparently, the dark-haired demon neglected to take notice of his in depth interrogation and merely responded, "Furigawa. Sesshoumaru Furigawa is my full name."

"I take it you're Japanese, then..." Musou naturally shifted to his native tongue and eased the tension in his muscles. _Furigawa isn't Maebashi. They don't look remotely the same, either; it doesn't seem as though this guy is wearing a wig and contacts._ "I'm Musou Yamimoto. You may call me Musou."

Sesshoumaru barely shot him a second glance. "Well met, Musou. Call me Sesshoumaru."

_Something is off about this guy..._ Yet the dark-haired human couldn't exactly pinpoint it. He almost growled in exasperation—he was dancing around the answer, he knew it! _I better watch my back. _"So, Sesshoumaru, what are you—"

His speech was interrupted when a rather haunting tune began to play over the loud speakers, and his eyes snapped towards the stage. The curtains had been pulled back to reveal a lone microphone stand in the center, yet...soon enough...along with the dark melody playing...

...a hooded figure walked slowly towards the microphone.

The person, a male by the silhouette, glided his clawed fingers over the metal stand almost sensually, enticingly... He then grasped the pole while one of his hands covered the black microphone tauntingly close to his moist lips. Was it just Musou, or did the club just convert into a sauna?

He glanced at Sesshoumaru, but the reticent demon was focused on the performance, though clearly unaffected by the hooded man's..._sensuality_. The indigo-eyed human began to tap his foot restlessly and downed the rest of his martini in one gulp.

_"I watched you change_

_Into a fly..."_

The singer started the dark song with a slightly gruff yet compelling voice that instantly grabbed Musou's attention and gripped his heart. _Gods, this bastard must be some kind of fucking slut! He sounds like...like he's having a fucking orgasm!_

_"I looked away_

_You were on fire..."_

His voice was so tenuous; its soft waves coiled in his foggy mind, mesmerizing him, arousing him... It made him acutely aware of his hidden sexual energy, his libido... Dammit! He was not a homo! Musou couldn't be attracted to a damn man whore!

_"I watched a change in you_

_It's like you never had wings_

_Now you feel so alive_

_I've watched you change..."_

It was as though the song was describing him. Musou could relate with the lyrics—he had changed, and he felt invincible. He was confident in his abilities to intermingle with the crowd and change his alias in order to not be found by his superiors once they discovered his financial affairs. InuTaishou had yet to perceive him as a potential threat, and Naraku no longer had a crony as his spy.

He changed...and he loved it. The wings he never had were firmly attached to his back, veins and all, and to cut them would only bleed him to death. Musou was alive...he was his own servant, his own master...

Yes. He changed and he loved it.

_"I took you home_

_Set you on the glass_

_I pulled off your wings_

_Then I laughed..." _

The singer was practically whispering the lyrics of his song in a husky voice, a mere purr that tingled and excited the hairs on Musou's neck and arms. Images of having the cloaked singer whisper words in his ear, on his _skin_ invaded his mind and increased his body temperature…

And then those same torturous lips would curve into a malicious smile and pronounce his death. His enchanter would laugh and watch rivers of blood flow from his wings. He shivered at the thought.

Even so...Musou couldn't deny that he desired to be closer to the singer... _A good fuck once in a while is healthy, right? _

_"I watched a change in you_

_It's like you never had wings_

_Now you feel so alive_

_I've watched you change..."_

How much more sexual torture could he take?! Was it normal to be turned on by a singer?! The tightening in a certain area of his black slacks confirmed that it _was_ possible—he was a prime example.

_"It's like you never had wings..._

_Aaah-ah-aah..._

_Aaah-ah-aah..._

_Aaah-ah-aah..."_

_I'm going to explode,_ Musou mentally cursed. His nervous eyes flitted to his table companion, who suddenly held a glass of wine to his lips. How the hell did he take his eyes off the stage to order wine?!

Gods, the curving of the singer's sensual lips heightened the fire coursing through his veins and concentrating in a swollen part of his anatomy. His numerous vituperations didn't help to ease his frustration or tension or...

He wanted to taste those damn lips...he wanted to hear the singer moan in pleasure... Fuck the fact that he wasn't gay! Sex was sex no matter how one looked at it! Lust didn't choose his partners—it only alerted him to his needs.

_"I look at the cross..."_

The singer paused for a moment, sliding his hand along the length of the microphone pole, and Musou swore the bastard was staring directly at him. He couldn't see his eyes, but, dammit, he could sure as hell feel their smoldering gaze.

_"Then I look away..."_

Another dramatic pause, but this time, both of the singer's hands lifted from the stand and sat on the hem of his velvet black hood. Musou sucked in his breath. _Finally, the moment that I've been—_

_"Give you the gun..."_

Long thick locks of silky silver hair unfurled up to the singer's waist... Vibrant, sadistic golden amber eyes stared into his wide indigo irises...his cruel lips were curved in a malicious smirk...gleaming fangs lied underneath the curled lips...

_"Blow me away..."_

_It's him...it was him all a long!_ Musou was absolutely shaken, and he tried to control the trembling of his hands to no avail. _I-It's...it's Inuyasha! _

**BOOM!**

"Shit!" Just when the song reached its climax, a loud explosion emanated from outside the club's staircase entrance, and Musou jumped from his seat, petrified. "W-What...?"

_"I watched a change in you_

_It's like you never had wings_

_Now you feel so alive_

_I've watched you change..."_

Flames were pouring into the room, devouring everything in sight. The heat of his body hadn't been imagined—the club was on fucking fire! Any strangers in the place immediately filtered out of the room, obviously in a panic. Dammit, he had to leave, too!

And yet, the explosion seemed not to bother the hanyou singer dressed in a crisp black shirt unbuttoned enough to expose the toned, lightly tanned skin of his chest... The bastard was still singing sensually, tauntingly...

He walked off the stage as a wooden beam crashed behind him, creating a fitting background of fire...fire was alit in his eyes...

Musou's legs numbed, which was probably the reason why he was rooted to his spot. All exits were now completely barred by spurning flame; yet, where was Sesshoumaru, the businessman? Not unless he was also...shit...

_"And you feel so alive_

_You feel alive_

_You feel alive_

_I've watched you change..."_

Another pair of golden honey eyes stared at him...accompanied by a regal face only belonging to one dog demon...the perfect killer...the Sadist.

Sesshoumaru had removed his disguise spell casted on a golden ring and placed it into his pocket. His cold, merciless eyes offered no comfort to Musou's imminent death. And the human knew he was alone in this hell...that was why his body began to quiver.

_"It's like you never had wings..._

_Aaah-ah-aah..._

_Aaah-ah-aah..._

_Aaah-ah-aah..."_

"You changed, Musou," the demon crooned softly, pleased by the gulp of the helpless human in front of him. Musou pleaded to any higher entity to save him in exchange for his eternal faith, but...with all of his past deeds, no one listened to him. "But it's time to have your wings ripped off."

"Oh...o-oh...go-gods..."

Sesshoumaru, _Maebashi_ Sesshoumaru turned his back...while Musou turned his head, only to come face to face with the other assassin of the Maebashi family... In some cases, he was the most unforgiving of the two...

_"You changed..."_

Musou had known this day would come, but he never prepared for it. His arrogance had led to this—he should have been more careful! He should have remembered that InuTaishou was friends with the ruthless Hideakio, and gods knew that the latter bastard was an even _worse_ rival!

_"You changed..."_

Why did he have to change? Events would have turned out so much differently had he remained as Naraku's puppet and kept connections with him. Although he was about to die, Musou learned a new lesson.

Never underestimate the opponent...never let arrogance distort reality...

_"You changed..._

_It's over..."_

Inuyasha ended the song in a whisper once again infiltrating Musou's mind and awakening his dampened arousal. The hanyou stepped in close with a grin on his handsome face, and he placed a hand on the shaking human's cheek. Tears had begun to leak from his indigo eyes—he didn't want to die.

He didn't want to fucking die!

At least...not like this...

"Fun's over, bastard. Time for your soul to be reaped," Inuyasha whispered, sliding the knife that had been sheltered in his sleeve along Musou's sweltering, flushed skin.

He was still using lust as his prime weapon...utilizing any man's weakness to his advantage...

"Shh, stay calm. I'd make this quick, but you betrayed my father, and so...I shall betray you."

And then he felt a pair of soft, velvet lips press against his cheek, marking him with a deceiving kiss... It was the kiss of Satan, the ruthless lord of Hell. It was the kiss of Judas, the disciple who loved Jesus yet betrayed him.

It was the kiss...

...of his Reaper.

* * *

**A/N: END! OMG I love the song that Inu sang...so sexy if you listen to it... Okay, no more ranting except that once again, Inu was deliberately OOC and it will be explained next chapter! :-D For now, just wonder why the heck Inu is so brutal and even more sadistic than Sessh is... Actually, the first chapter when Sessh is assassinating that rat demon is pretty traumatizing, too...**

Next chapter:** Do I hear wedding bells? I do! A certain couple is finally getting married! :-D **

**Sooo...how will Sessh and Rin's wedding turnout? Will Inu go ballistic again? Does Kagome know Inu is so cunning and sadistic? What does Sessh think of his brother? Why was Inu asked to perform the assassination and not Sessh? What is InuTaishou planning? Do Miroku and Shippou know more than what they let on? Do Sango and Kirara know more than what they let on? Is Izayoi just acting oblivious and innocent? **

**Hm...beware of the innocent people... :-D BYEZ! REVIW AND THE ZOMBIE DONKEYS WON'T HAUNT YOU!**


	8. Let the Game Begin

**A/N: Okay, this time me not gonna rant much because no one wants to listen to me rant. But I'm on summer vacation! WOOT! My mom's being a bitch though and it's pissing me off... GRR! She is just **_**asking**_** me to go to an out of state college! It'd be all her fault if I do!**

**Yup...still haven't updated Oh My Gods!... I should do that...**

**THANKS TO **stella** FOR REVIEWING! I can't send you a PM so... Yeah, I'm just glad that you gave my AU story a chance and liked it! :-D Thanks to** raptor-akida** for reviewing too! I think you've reviewed every chapter...WOW! :-D**

Disclaimer:** I do not own the song The Beginning is the End is the Beginning by the Smashing Pumpkins! Great song--it's the song of the Watchmen promo! The movie sucked, though... **

**ENJOY THE CHAPPIE!**

* * *

**Assassin's Daughter 8**

* * *

It was at last the day he had been waiting for: his wedding day.

Granted, the ceremony wouldn't be anything special. He and his fiancée would go to the courthouse, sign some papers, and lastly be known as legally wedded. Then they would return back to his father's mansion for the reception, in which only close family friends and relatives were invited. It was all simple and sweet—good.

He couldn't deal with any grand balls or whatnot.

Sesshoumaru looked himself over in the full-length mirror in front of him for the umpteenth time that morning. It hardly seemed like he only arrived from his mission in Australia a half-hour ago...nope! His suave black suit revealed none of his secrets.

The dog demon was preparing for his impending wedding in his bedroom, while his younger brother was sprawled on his bed, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. He sighed, his hand halting in its task to fix the white tie under his matching button-up shirt's collar.

It was only last night that Musou's assassination had been carried out...

Inuyasha was usually quiet and subdued the morning after his kills.

Yet, his elder brother admitted that the hanyou was also in a very..._sadistic_ mood.

_Not_ good.

"Inuyasha." The silver-haired hanyou, who was already dressed and ready to leave to the courthouse, neglected to respond. Instead, his vacant golden eyes continued to stare into nothingness, his body literally lifeless on the king-sized bed. "Answer me, half-breed."

"What do you want?" Even though the remark was supposed to be gruff and biting, it was softly whispered in a near breathless, husky voice.

Sesshoumaru quirked a thin eyebrow in surprise and turned to face his brother. "If you keep this up, your wife will fuss over you. Surely you don't wish for her to spoon feed you again?" There was no response.

_I hope Father is content with what he has done to his sons, mainly Inuyasha._ The dog demon narrowed his eyes, yet controlled his anger. He and Inuyasha didn't get along often, but they were both assassins—on a career level, they were able to relate.

He knew that the hanyou _hated_ shedding blood, yet enjoyed it all the same. Last night, he had watched, somewhat disgusted, as Inuyasha thoroughly tortured Musou until the human's voice was raw from screaming for mercy. Blood had sprayed on the hanyou's cheeks and clothing, but his glittering golden eyes were perhaps the most frightening part of his deadly persona.

Inuyasha did not handle face-to-face missions for two reasons. One, he had a damn good aim, and his brother was a direct witness of it. He hit a bull's-eye with every shot, so obviously he would have great potential as a sniper. And then...then there arrived the fact that sometimes, he just couldn't control himself.

It wasn't that he intentionally decimated his victims to the point of vivification; the hanyou just _succumbed_ to trained assassin residing in his unconscious and allowed it free reign. Sesshoumaru couldn't remember the first time this foreign side of his brother surfaced, but he realized it was due to their father's harsh training...

...along with the fact that Inuyasha's first kill had been...um...it didn't end well, to put it simply. Yet the dog demon hadn't witnessed the event.

Even so...Inuyasha had been substantially desensitized of killing people--especially innocent people--by the time he was eighteen. He could never say no to his father's demands, so he performed every mission handed to him, strove to make InuTaishou proud.

In the end, he had only created a huge rift between the annoying hanyou everyone recognized and the deadly assassin capable of the worst deeds others refused to acknowledge.

Sesshoumaru would go so far as to say his brother had a split personality. But then why did Inuyasha develop this psychological bridge separating his public and professional life while his brother didn't? Simple.

Control. The hanyou lacked control.

The task of hitmen—the terms assassins and hitmen were interchangeable when it came to the brothers because they used both methods of hired, professional killing—was not easy. His career called for ruthlessness, isolation, and profit...but also control.

There was a fine line between assassination and murder. Inuyasha continuously crossed that border; therefore, InuTaishou only utilized his son's 'talent' when he was gravely offended by someone and wanted him/her dead..._painfully_.

Hmph. When it came to being insulted, his father thought of nothing except for vindication.

_He is a spoiled little whelp, isn't he?_ InuTaishou had his faults, just like everyone did. The unfortunate people in Tokyo, such as those who were unemployed, homeless, bankrupt, etc., looked up to the dog demon for protection and aid. The Yakuza wasn't a problem these days—the city was watched over by a powerful guardian.

Meanwhile, the business tycoon earned the respect of all his peers on a local and international level. It linked him to Hideakio—someone just as revered up north in Hokkaido. The two men had more in common than they led people to believe...

Yet, despite all of his strong points, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but feel that his father was committing a grave mistake by often manipulating Inuyasha's _beyond_ extreme sadistic tendencies. _Every single one of his victims the past eight years are still missing, at least in police files. Heh, he literally tears them apart. His victims' bodies are never decipherable. _

Gods! Not even _he_ was so ruthless with his victims and he was called the Sadist! What the hell did that say about him?! Ha, it said that while he enjoyed the pain of others and was quick to end a victim's life, he still controlled his sadism. How?

Well...he didn't listen to his father all the time, now did he? He never participated in the lesson on making bodies beyond identifiable...or the lesson on torturing information out of targets... Nope.

He wasn't a monster, just a professional assassin. His brother was a different case altogether. _Again, it's all because of Father._ Oh, and his mother, too. She wasn't as innocent as she seemed... Hmph, humans and their façades!

One day, Inuyasha might just snap and initiate a death rampage—their father might be his first target. Was Sesshoumaru the only one fearing this possibility in the future? Or perhaps something worse would happen, like...an enemy...might discover the Reaper's deadly secret and use it to his advantage...

Now _that_ wasn't good.

Sesshoumaru sighed. His place during his brother's missions was to merely stand by and witness the Reaper use his scythe to rip out souls. He couldn't voice his opinions to anyone, and he doubted that his father would care in the first place. No, he _would_ care—but, again, his mind was centered on vindication.

_No _one insulted him and lived. Naraku was just a petty exception.

Usually the silver-haired assassin could maintain his apathy when he watched his brother lose control, but... He detested the morning after the hanyou's kills. Truthfully, Inuyasha wasn't as scary an hour after his mission as he was in the morning. The reason was still a mystery to everyone, even more mysterious than his emerging split personality.

Was there a cure for that? Or a way to stop it? Well, he had a wedding to get to, so he abandoned the thought.

_Now what should I do?_ Sesshoumaru, however, recognized danger when it was shoved in his face, and his brother was in _no_ condition to face people! Plus, the hanyou needed to attend the wedding because he was signing as one of his witnesses. _If someone so much as looks at him the wrong way, he will carve his name in the fool's throat._

The scary part was that Inuyasha had actually carved his codename in some poor bastard's throat before...while the bastard was still alive... Again, 'everyday' Inuyasha wasn't conscious of his atrocious deeds. Nope. If he was aware of them, suicide would be the first task on the half-breed's schedule for the day.

"Send a heart beat to the void that cries through you. Relive the pictures that have come to pass..."

Huskily whispered words, coming from a source very close to him, teased Sesshoumaru's sensitive ear drums, and for a moment, he stood absolutely still. A cold, metal gun was pressed against the base of his cranium...right where a certain area of his brain that controlled all his life functions resided at the back of his neck. One shot there and not even his demonic powers could revive him.

_Shit... _Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw vibrant golden amber eyes staring back at him... They were grim, solemn, somber...murderous... _I was right—he's still homicidal._

"For now we stand alone, the world is lost and blown, and we are flesh and blood disintegrate with no more to hate..."

He was repeating the lyrics of a song he once sang during a mission; Sesshoumaru recognized it instantly. What was Inuyasha trying to say? He couldn't fathom it, but with recent events, he discerned that the hanyou was fed up with his life.

_Shit, this is the part when he snaps and kills me, Father, and the oblivious butler._ Ahem, Jaken was the only one who truly deserved to die, though...

"Life is filled with difficulties..." Inuyasha leaned his head over his brother's shoulder so that they both were visible through the full-length mirror. The emotionless expression on his face was uncharacteristic of him, or so the dog demon beside him mused. "Wouldn't it be so easy to just end it?"

"Suicide is a coward's way out of a confrontation." Sesshoumaru chose his words wisely since he wanted to live and actually _attend_ his wedding. "Brother, revert back to your normal self. This is not the time or place to worry about this inane nonsense."

He was highly aware of the silver S&W handgun pressed against his neck...how cold it felt against his warm, delicate skin... The slender finger hovering over the trigger, ready to celebrate his demise...the smothering breath of the Grim Reaper over his shoulder...

Truthfully, being on the end of his brother's knife must be terrifying... Sesshoumaru had a newfound respect for all those who withstood the hanyou's torture, even though they died anyway. Oh well.

"But, brother, I wasn't suggesting suicide..." _Then what was he referring to?_ The silver-haired assassin was substantially confused and a bit apprehensive—dealing with an expert yet homicidal sniper was _not_ child's play. "Did you know...that I never thought about killing our father until today?"

_Gods, you shouldn't even be thinking about it._ The notion was completely and utterly insane! "You'll gain nothing from killing him, Inuyasha. Besides, you live by the creed: you kill to profit."

_Why do you think we're professional killers, hm? For cupcakes and brownies after a mission? Preposterous._ But Sesshoumaru wanted to live, so he wasn't repeating the words of his inner mind's voice.

Inuyasha scoffed, his gleaming eyes trained on the mirror in front of him. "Does it fucking _look_ like I'm profiting from this damn psychological torture? Don't feed me bullshit just 'cause you don't want me to kill you. If Dad's dead, Kagome and I will live in peace."

At least he sounded less murderous and more like his cynical self... _Dammit! I don't want to deal with this!_ Sesshoumaru had a honeymoon to enjoy tonight for goodness sake! _And I can't just turn around and knock the gun away from him. He's stupid, but not _that _stupid. _Trying such a foolish stunt was...well, foolish.

"Half-breed, your wife will dub you a common murderer. Remember that we are not murders but hired _professionals_. We are not mindless—we do not kill out of rage."

It was the only thing that abated guilt in any assassin or hitmen—the method in which a professional killed was much different than a common day criminal. Yet, then again, a life was still a life. Taking a life was not accepted by society. _Hmph. Humans and their unconscious tendencies to seek justice. _

All their judicial nonsense was crap, anyway.

If laws were truly effective, then assassins wouldn't exist, now would they?

Inuyasha seemed to consider his brother's allegation, and briefly shut his eyes before mumbling, "But I—"

"Son! What did I tell you about pointing guns at people? Wait until you're paid for it!"

Both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha turned their heads to the entrance of the bedroom only to see their father barricading the entryway. At last, the 'crazed' hanyou stepped away from his brother and sheathed his gun in his inner breast pocket, all the while glaring at the demon who held his life in his merciless hands.

How he wished he could wring the fool's neck...

But they were bad thoughts. Bad, bad, bad thoughts. And as always, he demolished them before they became too aggressive.

In the meantime, Sesshoumaru refrained from commenting on his brother's hostile behavior and watched him casually stand in front of InuTaishou, whose suave black suit added an intimidating air around him. His usually jovial golden eyes were narrowed, scrutinizing his son.

Apparently, the gaze unperturbed Inuyasha because he merely smirked—a lazy, nearly sadistic smirk—and whispered, "I haven't broken my promise, Dad, so I expect you to return the favor." He then left without another word, leaving his contemplative father and confused brother alone in the room.

_What does he mean about a promise? When did Inuyasha make a promise with Father?_ And he had never seen the hanyou speak so brazenly to a man who demanded respect right down to the manner in which to pick up a fork during dinner!

"Well someone's in a pissy mood, don't you think?" InuTaishou brushed off 'invisible' dust from his suit and faced his eldest son, beaming as though his youngest hadn't just basically threatened him. "Look at you! You're even more handsome than I was at my own wedding! I might have to kill you for that..."

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. Only his father could joke about killing people... "Is it time to leave yet?" He totally forgot what time he was supposed to be at the courthouse. His life would be cut short by his fiancée if he never showed up...

Thinking about his fiancée aroused thoughts of her appearance on their wedding day. What kind of dress was she wearing? Was it traditional white or modern with a splash of color? Did it have a long, extravagant train or was it simple and short?

Cleavage or _no_ cleavage...?

That one made him smirk as his one-track mind progressed to _consummating_ the ceremony. _I guess I won't be a Stranger to her after tonight._ Or at least he hoped so—yet, he wasn't about to pressure her into sleeping with him just because...well, he was male.

He could control himself, but gods, he wasn't a monk to be termed celibate!

"Son, have you forgotten how to fix a tie?" InuTaishou caught sight of the less than perfect white tie wrapped under his son's shirt collar and tsked. "Here, let me help you."

Sesshoumaru allowed his father to redo his tie for him; truthfully, he _knew_ how to fix his tie, only that Inuyasha had interrupted him before he could finish. Oh well, he hardly cared. With his emotionless mask in place, he stared at his father as he worked diligently to perfect the tie. His golden honey eyes narrowed, however.

There was an ulterior motive to this little visit...

"It has come to my notice," the elder dog demon suddenly began, proving to Sesshoumaru that he was indeed hiding something under his sleeve, "that you aren't tying loose ends. How can I trust you if you can't keep a secret?"

What in the world was he talking about? He knew the business tycoon was speaking about eliminating any witnesses wandering around point zero (target area), but... Dammit, he took extreme caution in not letting anyone see him in the act! The consequences of such a thing were unmentionable—he wasn't so stupid!

The silver-haired dog demon narrowed his gaze even further, searching his father's blank face for any signs of him merely joking. There were none. "Father, I swear I—"

"Save it." He left no room for arguments; his word was final and his son was forced to accept it. "Not only did you allow _another_ assassin to steal my valuable diamond, you failed in capturing the mistress of my good friend Claude. She hasn't reported to the police, but she hired a private investigator to find you."

Claude...grr! That stupid rat demon he had the pleasure of torturing a week ago was the bane of his existence! For the sake of all that was high and mighty—he hadn't known any woman would share a bed with that...that...that disgusting, vile vermin! And who the hell would be stupid enough to hire an investigator to search for an assassin?!

"We wouldn't be having this problem if you used Kagome's disguise spells regularly," InuTaishou said, finally finished fixing the younger demon's tie. He sighed and placed both hands on Sesshoumaru's shoulders. "Your honeymoon will be in Venice, where Madam Adeline is currently vacationing in. I want you to dispose of her."

"Understood, Father." Sesshoumaru nodded—of course he would kill her! Hmph! The insane bitch was going to fucking peel off her own nails at his command! "I will take care of it as soon as possible and I will not fail you again."

"I know." The elder demon smiled, yet it was far from affectionate or loving. He pulled his son into an embrace, shocking him frozen stiff. After a few moments of silence, he turned his head to whisper in his son's ear, "But I must punish you all the same."

_Punish...me?_ He was an excellent assassin—the best of the best. Never had he...his father never had to punish him. Once...about eight years ago, Inuyasha was punished for hesitating to kill one of his witnesses, an innocent seven-year-old girl. Their family was forced to evade the 'curious' police for months as a result.

Meanwhile, the hanyou locked himself in his room for an entire _week_ after the ordeal.

Add the fact that their father was merciless...

So, it was safe to say Sesshoumaru was a bit apprehensive.

InuTaishou pulled away, his damnable smile still firmly in place, and turned to leave the room. But before he could completely exit through the door, he stopped. Without facing his son, he added, "Oh, and by the way..."

Sesshoumaru lifted his head at the sound of his father's rumbling deep voice. "Yes?" He couldn't fathom what other mishap the dog demon was aware of. _One day I will kill all of Father's spies. _Yup.

That would also be the day the sun disintegrated the Earth.

"Make sure to keep your identity a secret from Rin unless you wish to kill her. Trust me, my dear son, I can order you to kill your wife at any moment...and you do not possess the power to deny me."

And as he left the room, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but mull over the underlying message that...

...his father planned his marriage to be a short one.

Hmph...and that was where his mission commenced.

**

* * *

**

Her signature.

It was the only thing remaining in order to finalize the marriage between the heirs of Maebashi InuTaishou and Osaka Hideakio. The ceremony, in simple terms, was short and sweet. Vows were unnecessary since the couple wasn't marrying out of love; only a few papers needed to be signed under the watchful eye of a judge.

But Rin was hesitating to sign her name.

All eyes were on her as her hand holding a ballpoint pen tediously hovered over the piece of parchment that would soon mark her as her fiancé's _wife_, mark her as a new _member_ of the Maebashi family. She bit her glossy pink lips and glanced at the person closest to her—Sesshoumaru.

He wasn't even looking at her and it caused dread to bubble in her heart.

_I can't do this._ Rin stared at her finely manicured nails, painted with white French tips to match her beautiful wedding dress.

The pristine white gown was simple; it was floor length, halter-top, hugged her hourglass figure to compensate for her petite stature, and overall fit her style of sophisticated and elegant. She was showing enough cleavage to tempt the mind, and the creamy skin of her flawless back was exposed to enchant people to touch what would feel like smooth silk.

Adding any designs to her beautiful, elegant dress would be overrated--it wasn't like this was a true wedding she organized herself. And hey, it made her seem taller beside her six-foot-five husband! But all in all, Rin loved the dress she chose from Kirara's boutique...

She only wished it didn't further exemplify the huge step she was about take in her life.

Hmph, after all the stress she suffered the past week—hell, the entire _morning_—here she was hesitating to end her worries and initiate a task of utmost importance: her mission. The young woman briefly shut her eyes and smiled sardonically to herself. _This mission will get me killed, I can feel it. _

In the little time she had resided in the Maebashi Estate, Rin learned one emphasized fact about them...

...no one messed with a person Maebashi-associated or severe consequences ensued.

_Come on, Rin! Everyone is staring at you! They probably want to get to the reception already and you haven't eaten anything since last night!_ She wished she was stuffed rather than starving... Though, mentally berating herself brought the pen nowhere closer to the white paper laid out on a desk in front of her. _Father must be glaring holes into the back of my neck. _

Wow...it was a surprise she hadn't keeled over yet.

She wished her neck wasn't so exposed and vulnerable—it was why she preferred to keep her hair down and wavy, like a lion's thick yet protective mane. But _no_, her long obsidian locks were curled and pinned to the top of her head in a fashionable up-do to accent her dress's halter-top.

At least the little white buds of flowers Izayoi added to her hair were cute...

Rin dared to tilt her head towards her left, where her father and Sesshoumaru's father were both sitting side by side in pews, gazing intently at the couple standing before the judge in the courtroom. Hideakio's hazel eyes narrowed as she watched him clench his hands in a silent threat she quickly heeded. The young woman then discreetly focused her eyes upon the marital documents she was _supposed_ to sign.

Mhm...yeah...it wasn't happening anytime soon.

"Ahem..." Too much time had apparently passed because the judge took it upon himself to make sure she hadn't fallen asleep with her eyes open. _How embarrassing..._ Well, she still wasn't anywhere near signing... "All you need to do is sign on the line next to your fiancé's signature to be finished, madam."

He waited patiently for her to say 'oh', smile at her own stupidity, and sign the papers, but she neglected to. Rin slowly lifted her gaze and stared at the brunette judge until he spluttered something about taking her time.

She flashed him a charming smile. "Thank you for your understanding, sir!"

"Y-Your welcome, Miss Osaka."

_Hmph! Jerk! I'm not a zombie—my brain works just fine!_ Moving on, then...

The two witnesses of her 'wedding'—Inuyasha and Kagome—already signed ten minutes ago with no problem. Sesshoumaru hadn't even glanced at the papers before he also signed his name in almost perfect cursive. Rin occupied her mind by observing his name standing out on top of a white background.

Maebashi Sesshoumaru...a powerful, intimidating name belonging to an equally powerful, intimidating demon. Once again she raised her eyes to look at him, but just as before, he instead fixed his gaze straight ahead of him, appearing detached and apathetic. She sighed in dismay at his obvious lack of interest.

Didn't he care that she was reluctant to marry him?

There was something off about the way he was acting... When she first saw him about twenty minutes ago, when they met to walk into the courtroom side by side, she beamed happily and attempted to embrace him. He regarded her with cold honey eyes that froze every cell in her body and caused her to flinch away. Heck, he went out of his way not to touch her!

The halter-top dress Rin was wearing was supposed to make him _want_ to touch her! Grr!

Yet...denying that the horrible emotion 'hurt' didn't corrupt the depths of her being was useless.

Had she done something to displease him? Sure, she slept on his bed while he was gone _without_ his permission, but she didn't think he would mind! His indifference was annoying her to no end—she hated it when people were angry with her! Though, she _swore_ she hadn't done anything wrong!

Besides, she couldn't have pissed him off when this was the first time she saw him in a week.

Sesshoumaru was the absolute _perfect_ ice statue at the moment; one couldn't decipher if he ever blinked or not. What was he feeling? Rin wanted to know, she wanted him to embrace her like he did a week ago and tell her how she shouldn't doubt a life with him.

She wouldn't mind if they eloped, either... Heh. Her father would fall into a rage-induced coma.

Instead, the dog demon was pushing her away...he was ignoring her presence...he was...

...he was hiding his weakness. He couldn't trust her with such vulnerability yet.

"Miss Osaka...?" The judge was desperate to leave the courtroom and it showed by the way he cleared his throat awkwardly, his hunter green eyes glancing at the clock across the room every two seconds. "You _do_ know where the line—"

"Be quiet! I'm not stupid!" Rin snapped, not because she was genuinely annoyed but because she was frustrated with her inane doubts. Hmph, and she was allegedly an assassin. "My hand just cramped, is all. You're just gonna have to wait."

"Err...okay..."

"Dammit, woman, we don't have all day—ow! What was that for?!" Nincompoop was silenced by a quick jab in the ribs from his wife, who only returned his fervent glare and gestured to be quiet. The hanyou kehed and crossed his arms, though obeyed Kagome, nonetheless.

Rin summoned all the will power she possessed to move her hand an inch closer to the paper, right above the straight black line that was to be her signature's home. **GRR!** She couldn't do it! She just couldn't!

If she signed the document, then she would be married to Sesshoumaru. She would share his home, share his life, share his bed; she would be his partner. And partners should be trusted, right? That was the problem—he didn't trust her.

Truthfully...she would be stupid to trust him, too. She _kinda_ did...

...yet the fact that her big fat secret was still a _secret_ proved she couldn't trust him.

_My father is ruining my life. I sign this and I sign my life over to him for good._ Her cinnamon eyes narrowed, though she tried hard to keep her anger at bay. _This will prove that he controls me and I have no free will. I'll forever be his damn puppet, the Assassin's Daughter. _

Gods...could she really do it? Marry a dog demon she was growing to care for only to betray him in the end, renounce all the wonderful moments they shared held deep within her heart? When the time came to reveal her true colors and complete her mission, could she reject her emotions and in the end betray even herself?

_Yes. I have to do it._ Rin was weak—she acknowledged it. The key to living her life was sacrifice; this mission wouldn't be hard to complete if she only kept her emotions out of the picture. _Sesshoumaru and I are pieces in a game of chess played by our fathers. They decide if we move forward or back...not the other way around. _

Then again...chess pieces were inanimate objects with no sentiments whatsoever. Sesshoumaru was already mastering the game, adeptly moving forward with no remorse or doubt holding him back. Rin admired him for it...she admired his strong mind that allowed him to endure whatever was shoved in his face without revealing his true view on the matter to the public's discretion.

_He's locking emotion out of this game. He knows it's dangerous to feel something for me should our fathers turn against one another_. Rin realized that she was the only one weighted by lingering thoughts. Her fiancé had long since abandoned them; he returned from his 'business trip' accompanied by a new resolve to only trust _himself_ and look out for _himself_.

It was time for her to emulate him.

At long last, much to everyone's relief...Rin's hand descended to the paper, to the black line, yet before she could sign her name...

**"STOP THIS WEDDING!"**

Err...what the hell?

Everyone in the courtroom—which wasn't much except immediate members of the Maebashi family and the lone Hideakio—turned towards the entrance/exit with cocked heads to see a breathless young male standing there. His cheeks were flushed from running, and his furious dark brown eyes were trained on the bride...

"Wait, you're not Hitomi!" He said it accusingly; as though it was Rin's fault she wasn't this Hitomi person.

She only gaped in shock, however, and words were unable to form on her tongue. _Okay, this totally ruins my wedding._ Yup, and it allowed her some time to gather her wits before signing her life away to Sesshoumaru. Speaking of the dog demon...he discreetly flexed his claws from beside her, and Rin hid a smile.

He might be imitating apathy, but at least he was still one hell of a possessive fiancé.

"I got the wrong room... Gods, _fuck_ my life!" The sable-haired man scratched the back of his head and met the glares of two pissed off dog demons and a hazel-eyed human dead-on. He gulped, and was about to apologize, yet uncontrollable laughter infiltrated his ears.

Now everyone's gaze shifted to a guffawing half-demon, who threatened to roll on the floor laughing his ass off. Gods, what an undignified brat...

"Ha ha ha! Holy shit! That was great! For a second there I thought he was gonna kidnap Rin and Sesshou-bastard was gonna chasing them! **HA HA!"** Tears moistened his eyes—a quick bonk on the head from his beloved wife was enough to dry them, however.

It was a hilarious image, though—his brother grabbing his gun and shooting at an asshole who was running away with his bride draped over his shoulder before running after them himself. Ha, a total shootout would ensue! InuTaishou would pop out his gun, joining the fight, and even Izayoi would snatch the gun she definitely had hidden under her lilac dress's frilly skirt!

But Inuyasha was too disoriented to keep on laughing...Kagome hit harder than Sango...

Sesshoumaru at long last controlled his boiling rage at his wedding being so insolently interrupted and he turned towards the confused young man. "_Leave_." His voice reverberated pain...the young man swore to think twice before jumping into a courtroom in search of the love of his life...

Now onward to find Hitomi!

Once the intruder was gone, everyone settled down enough to resume the ceremony. The judge cleared his throat and smiled at Rin, secretly happy that she finally made up her mind to sign the papers. "Please continue, Miss Osaka."

"Yeah, yeah." Weddings were a drag... But she signed her name in a cursive matching the one next to it, nonetheless. All the while, the content smile upturning the corners of her lips fooled onlookers into believing she was happy and relieved to officially be pronounced married.

Well...all except for Sesshoumaru.

For a very long time, his icy honey eyes laid upon her, silently evaluating her fake smile, her gleaming cinnamon eyes. But he said nothing. He didn't _need_ to say anything. Why? Because the dog demon discerned her true intentions just by looking at her, by watching the way her sugary smile morphed into a cruel smirk.

Rin decided to play the game Sesshoumaru commenced ages ago...

A facsimile of her smirk appeared on his handsome face, ebbing away the ice that had crusted his impassive expression. He soon leaned in, however, in order to seal their marriage with a kiss...a chaste kiss, an innocent brush of lips.

Even so, the obsidian-haired woman felt an electrical charge coursing through her veins at the close contact, eliciting desire in the core of her body, arousing even the most reticent of nerves underneath her skin. She had a long way to go to become apathetic like him.

Still... _I know you haven't forgotten about the Assassin's Daughter, my new husband. I won't let you forget._

Yes...he would remember her...he would come to fear her as every man did...

Meanwhile, she would betray him and lie to him... She would live by the creed every second of her life while holding her head up high and never looking back. There was no other life for her—she was an assassin born and raised. And she would come to accept the fact that emotions, although a part of her, were better off erased from her persona.

Rin gazed into her husband's eyes, which once again trapped amusement in thick bonds of ice, and her smirk widened. Together, the two were the first ones to walk out of the courtroom, arm-in-arm as a newly married couple.

_If you can hide your emotions, Sesshoumaru...if you can hide them so well it almost seems as though you don't have them at all... _She leaned her head on his arm as they made their way to the white limousine waiting for them. _Then I can, too. Hm...let the game begin, Stranger._

**

* * *

**

There was something different about her...but he couldn't pinpoint it.

As he watched her laughing while huddled in a group with the other two Maebashi wives, she seemed like her normal, chipper self. But he knew it wasn't the truth—in a way, she was lying to him. He _hated_ being lied to, deceived in any manner.

His golden honey eyes narrowed when a young man—he was Sango's younger brother—approached his newly wedded wife and apparently asked her to dance with him. Of course, Rin beamed up at him as though he was her long time friend and happily accepted his offer. Even then, however, she was somewhat guarded.

But his question was why..._why_ would she feel the need to hide under a mask?

Why was she suddenly moving forward in the silent game he started?

Sesshoumaru raised a glass of imported champagne to his lips, all the while not removing his gaze from his contentedly dancing wife. He was lounging at their principle table, set up with numerous other beautifully decorated tables in the courtyard of his father's mansion. Seconds later, he discovered that his glass was empty of the sparkling liquid and placed it to one side.

Rin was becoming an enigma—an _intriguing_ enigma. Each minute passing by only presented another moment in which he was more interested in her, more curious... He wished to unravel the mystery shrouding her, the past he was a stranger to.

How was her upbringing like? Where was her mother? What was her infamous burden?

It was all unknown and it bothered him greatly. Dammit! Here he was wasting his time thinking about nonsense! He promised himself earlier that he would start being aloof around the vexing young woman; apparently, it was a promise meant to be broken.

He sighed and propped his head up with his right hand, staring off into the distance rather than focusing on his wife for the rest of the night. It had to be at least seven in the evening; various garden lamps lighted the courtyard, allowing guests to converse and dance the night away under the watchful gaze of the moon and stars. Hmph, that meant only a few more hours were left until he departed for his honeymoon...

The thought of tonight's future occurring made a smile form on the dog demon's lips, but it was soon wiped off his face. Truthfully...he felt odd. Well, odd as in his stomach refused to settle for longer than a minute. Hopefully it wouldn't impede him from his future fantasies.

Everything was currently at peace—the cool breeze refreshed people as they disregarded their troubles and the sounds of soft, slow music dispersed any silence looming by. Damn...a slow song... Sesshoumaru growled when Sango's little brother—was his name Kohaku?—wrapped his arms around Rin's waist while she did the same around his neck.

They talked in hushed voices as they slow-danced, smiling and laughing...

Jealousy made his golden eyes bleed crimson, but he shook his head. What the hell was he doing?! He was supposed to ignore her! His father made it plain and clear that developing any type of attachment to his wife was dangerous and possibly punishable by death—_her_ death.

He couldn't grow to trust her...yield himself completely to her...

She probably already thought she controlled him, had him wrapped around her little finger. Of course, what else was she supposed to think with the way he consoled her the day he left for his mission in Australia? _What a fool..._ He never acted on pure instinct in his entire life! Her tears...they were like...like...ugh!

There was no word to describe it!

Assassins weren't supposed to be moved by tears or distress! They were supposed to be _indifferent_ towards the pain and suffering of others—it was what enabled them to kill so mercilessly in order to profit afterwards! Hell, he was a fucking sadist and his codename was the Sadist! If he started caring about others but himself at this point, he was going to be granting all his pitiful victims unmerited freedom!

His father would _kill_ him for sure!

But Rin's tears _specifically_ affected him...stirred something deep inside of him, beyond the sadist that was his counterpart... Sesshoumaru leaned back on his chair and glanced up at the midnight blue sky, which slowly cleared to reveal numerous stars gathering around the waning moon. He needed to be careful around Sunshine...

Somehow, she managed to strip him of all self-control.

It terrified him, actually, that a woman had such a strong hold over him that he reacted completely on instinct. No...no! His fingers clenched into fists and a growl rumbled in his throat. _No one changes this Sesshoumaru...not even you, Sunshine._ Their new game would ensure both parties remained distant...detached.

Now that he thought about it...he was glad she accepted the challenge.

_Hn...on second thought, I might as well reclaim my wife from Kohaku._ Besides practicing apathy towards Rin, Sesshoumaru needed to put up an act around others. Normal husbands danced with their wives during their reception, right? He smirked in triumph.

_Let the game begin, Sunshine._

**

* * *

**

"No way, he actually said _that_ in a courtroom?!"

"Yeah! Sis wanted to kill Miroku—she threw her briefcase at him, he ducked, and she chased him around the room pissed as hell! Trust me; she was like Medusa's twin!"

"Ha ha! I wish I had been there!"

"It was hilarious! And guess what? I taped the whole thing..."

"Oooh...I sense some evil blackmailing vibes coming from you..."

"Hells yeah bitch!"

Rin laughed at Kohaku's out-of-character statement and tightened her grip on the back of his neck. Unbeknownst to many people, the handsome twenty-three year-old young man was her childhood friend; she spent some very memorable times with him despite her intense training to become an assassin.

Beside him, she felt..._normal_. Sure, he knew what she was and who her father was, but that was because Kohaku bore his own secrets... Heh, he wasn't as innocent as he appeared—looks were deceiving more often than not. Though, he was probably the only person in the world whom she could place her trust in.

He was her best friend.

She wasn't a ruthless assassin in his eyes, nor a tempting woman for the taking.

She was just _Rin_.

"Hey, don't look now but I think your new hubby overdosed on jealousy and is finally coming to rescue his damsel in distress." Kohaku snickered as he nodded towards the rapidly approaching dog demon, but the young woman in his arms forsook his warning and looked anyway. "I told ya so..."

Hmph, he was completely right—Sesshoumaru was heading towards them while utilizing his graceful long strides to make him seem powerful and intimidating. Even though Rin tried not to focus on him, her cinnamon eyes betrayed her mind and ogled his perfection cloaked in an expensive sable suit that contrasted with his majestic silver hair. The long, silky locks were pulled into a neat low ponytail behind his nape, which only diverted her eyes to his beautiful face...

Stern and serious; his face was always carved from ice. Then again, ice melted under the warm rays of the sun...

"Hmm, it took him long enough," Rin responded with an indifferent shrug of her shoulders. She finally turned her head and glanced up at her current dance partner. His deep hazelnut eyes smiled down at her and she giggled with mirth. "I guess I have to appease him."

"Should I hold you captive for a bit longer?" The dark-haired man asked, grinning widely. He inwardly acknowledged the fact that Sesshoumaru would rather have his head first... Dog demons were _too_ possessive, sheesh.

"Nah! I've had enough of you for one night." Although the thought was pleasing since she didn't have to perfect an impassive façade around her best friend, Rin also knew the dangers lying within her husband. And it was impossible to say he didn't hold grudges. "Just don't get drunk and start stripping on tables again, okay?"

Dammit, she was never going to let him forget that embarrassing moment! It was the last time he took his best friend to a bar during happy hour! "Can't promise anything since the margaritas here taste great, but I'll try. Have fun in Venice!" Kohaku leaned in to hug his friend firmly, hearing her giggle as he swung her around a couple of times.

Whoops, he bumped into a mean-looking old lady who was now glaring daggers at him. Yup, she was definitely going to fly home on her broomstick and make a voodoo doll out of his effigy...

"Oh!" He recalled something before smirking mischievously, and he leaned down to whisper in a dizzy Rin's ear, "I hope you use birth control tonight. Dog demons are known for their insanely _strong_ sex drives _all_ night long..."

A blush stained her cheeks as Kohaku stepped back and walked away prior to Sesshoumaru arriving to take control. She noticed him glancing in the direction of the retreating human, and if she didn't know any better, he was _glaring_ at him... Well, her blush only darkened as the dog demon placed his hands around her waist.

Was it just her, or was the temperature of the air around her suddenly a hundred degrees?

Rin felt dizzy again, to say the least...

"Enjoying yourself, I suppose?" His smooth voice raked over the sensitive hairs near her ear and Rin bit her lip to bar a moan from escaping on its quest to embarrass her. Yet, recalling Kohaku's parting remark only made her imagine what would soon happen in a romantic hotel room...

...or possibly even in the Maebashi family jet...

_Oh gods, I hate Kohaku._ She had already been warned by Kagome, however, and the raven-haired woman had plenty of experience with her own husband. Yup, and Izayoi couldn't have stopped herself from reaffirming her daughter-in-law's comments. _I'm in for a very, very long night. _

Good thing she already swallowed her first contraceptive pill a few days ago... Whoohoo.

"Y-Yup...fun..." _Geez, I've been smiling so much tonight that my lips hurt. _"Are _you_ enjoying yourself?" Ha, as though he was faring any better glowering at her throughout the entire reception... Did he think she didn't notice him intently staring at her from across the yard? Hmph!

Sesshoumaru allowed an amused smirk to curve his lips. "Hn. You should ask me again later tonight."

Rin finally regained control of herself and moved her hands to wrap around her husband's neck, pulling her slender body closer to his. She was still playing the game; therefore, she was going to challenge him...see how far he could tread before collapsing. A smile formed on her expression as she tilted her head up to gaze into his molten honey eyes that searched her soul just like before.

Of course, they would discover nothing.

"Oh really?" She purred, her voice light and playful. Inwardly, however, she was still blushing like a virgin schoolgirl after a classmate shouted 'penis'. "I won't be asking you any questions, though, since I think my lips will be _too_ occupied..."

Ah, there it was! A small spark shown in his gelid eyes, and Rin grinned victoriously, thinking nothing of playing with her husband's libido. As she swayed along with the enchanting, slow tune the orchestra—yes, a live, famous orchestra—was performing, she stood on the tips of her toes in order to brush her lips against her dance partner's.

Sesshoumaru merely stood there and accepted the chaste kiss, gazing down at her with heat melting his eyes every increasing second. The young woman smiled and trailed a finger across his cheek sensually, eliciting a growl of warning from him, but her cinnamon eyes were also smothering with heat.

"Allow me to give you some advice, Stranger," Rin whispered, reveling in the way the dog demon pulled her closer to him, so close that she was pressed against him with no means of escape. She could feel his arousal through the white silk of her dress; she was proud of her work. "Don't underestimate your opponent. Anything you can do...I can do better."

_So beware of the Lioness..._

And with another chaste kiss, a mere tease of lips, Rin's smile morphed into a smirk as she took advantage of Sesshoumaru's slackened hold and proudly strode away. All the while...the silver-haired dog demon touched his lips that were tingling with the desire to devour those belonging to a certain clever woman, yet instead, they curved into a malicious smirk.

"Hm, our game just became all the more difficult, Sunshine... We'll see who is better."

He was certain he would be victorious. Why?

Maebashi Sesshoumaru, the Sadist, _never_ lost a challenge.

* * *

**A/N: END! He never lost except at Go Fish! Okay, so I'm bored and stuff...but I'm busy all the same...yuck...**

Next chapter:** Err...Sesshoumaru and Rin arrive in Venice...I wonder what will happen between them, hmm...**

**Sooo...will Sessh and Rin finally do the do? Will an enemy exploit Inuyasha's split personality? Does Kagome know about his sadistic tendencies? How exactly is Izayoi not innocent? What are Kohaku's secrets and how does he know Rin if she lived in Sapporo? Why is Sessh's stomach feeling weird? **

**Me dunno...**

**Anyway, REVIEW! :-D Because me update sooner if you do! **


	9. Interruptions

**A/N: AYE CARAMBA! :-D I'm back with another chapter! Summer's going great so far--I might even go college visiting tomorrow! Swarthmore College here I come! **

**Unsigned Review Replies:**

stella:** I hope my story keeps interesting you until the end! I'd hate for someone to lose interest when the good stuff hasn't happened yet! Things take time to accumulate, don't you think? :-D Glad you're still reading and keep reviewing! **

forever angel:** I decided to write replies to anonymous (usigned) reviews 'cause I felt bad! :-D I said this already but I **_**really**_** appreciate your concern over my welfare, or at least that you take a moment to ask how I'm feeling! Thank you for taking the time to review! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I shall await your review! **

NOTE!** Sesshoumaru and Rin, including Inuyasha and Kagome and whoever else is an assassin, know multiple languages because they are just that: assassins. I'm not trying to make them seem perfect or whatnot--they're just fluent in many languages because it pertains to their jobs. **

**Sessh is mostly fluent in French, English, Italian, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese (because of business purposes). Note that all these languages minus Mandarin are relatively alike. **

**Rin is fluent in Russian, German, Mandarin Chinese (daughter of a business tycoon), English, Korean, and Latin (to help with the Western languages she doesn't know).**

**Inuyasha is pretty much fluent in the languages Rin is except he's an expert in small tribal languages, such as those in Afria, local villages in India, etc. for special missions. :-D Gods bless your linguistic skills, Inu! **

WARNING:** Um...beware of the lime... O.O**

**Enjoy the chappie!**

* * *

**Assassin's Daughter 9**

* * *

"Wow, it looks like a real palace!"

Rin's delighted cinnamon eyes glided from side to side as she took in the sight of her wedding suite in a five-star luxury hotel situated in Venice, Italy. A grin accented the childlike gleam in her eyes and a giggle escaped her lips before she spun in circles in the center of the lavish room, reveling in the plush light green carpet beneath her bare and manicured toes. She then abruptly stopped, shaking off her sudden dizziness, and darted to explore the ensuite bathroom.

"Ah!" The young woman gasped in pleasant shock, her eyes wide and even brighter than before. "Someone could live in here!" It was absolutely huge!

The cool marble tiles beneath her feet were a regal beige color that accented the dark russet of the marble walls, all blending extremely well with the pristine white whirlpool tub at the other end of her inspective gaze. It was the focus of grandeur in the huge bathroom, Rin noted as she took a tentative step inside. To her left, there were two russet marble-lined white sinks to share with her husband, and to her right, a shower holding two showerheads stood beside a toilet that matched the other appliances.

All in all, it was definitely a luxury befitting of a famous—and expensive—Italian hotel.

Once she was done scrutinizing the bathroom—why would she immediately head for the bathroom instead of searching the rest of the suite was beyond her—Rin strolled back into the large room at the same moment Sesshoumaru walked in wearing his same old serious expression. His wife shot him a content grin and turned to the ceiling-to-floor window overlooking the Grand Canal, a landmark of Venice.

"I've never been to Venice," she mumbled, perhaps to herself because she wasn't expecting a response. "The culture is rich and dates back to beautiful ancient times..." She couldn't wait to test authentic Venetian food! Breakfast would be amazing, since it was currently a quarter past midnight and dinner already past.

Oh well, there was still a week's worth of dinner to try out!

Rin closed her eyes and lost herself in a happy daze induced by being away from the bustle of Tokyo, away from her father's severe expectations of her. Here, in Italy, no one knew who she was—they didn't know that the famous business tycoon Osaka Hideakio even _had_ a daughter. _But, of course, I'm only on vacation. _

Once she returned home...a real challenge, her mission, officially began.

Strong arms wrapped around her narrow waist, and Rin sighed, leaning against Sesshoumaru as she continued to stare out the window. His lips were centimeters away from her ear when he huskily whispered, "You know...you should be attending to your husband instead of staring out the window all night..."

Her cheeks flushed at the mention of her marital duties, and she gulped as a warm nose—she swore his nose used to be cold and slightly damp like a dog's—nuzzled the side of her neck, tracing its outline, memorizing her scent. She bit back a moan when his humid tongue replaced his nose. "Heheh...about tha—ah!"

It was inevitable for the dog demon to quickly find an _extremely_ sensitive patch of skin at the conjunction of her shoulder and neck. Rin couldn't manage any form of speech since his hands moved from her waist to flatten over her abdomen before roaming lower, playing at her hips, exploring her thighs._ G-Gods..._ Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest along with the fiery blood coursing through her veins, matching the heat of her flushed skin...

He hadn't even commenced his long, torturous assault and already she felt the core of her body aching for him, longing to receive him in his entirety inside of her. _Never_ had she felt this way with any man before...not once...no one could heighten her arousal, her acute awareness of her body's needs in mere _seconds_ like Sesshoumaru did...

The fact was dangerous; the sensations he elicited in her were dangerous.

"Sessh..." His name was a husky moan on her lips, and Rin arched her back against him when his hands slowly lifted the fine silk of her dress's tulle skirt. What was the point of stopping him if he wasn't listening? She might as well bear the torment—he planned on teasing her as much as she had teased him.

"Rin..." Sesshoumaru halted his assault on her neck only to press his lips close to her ear once more, testing the sensitivity of the fine hairs surrounding it with his nose and tongue. "Do you desire me?" His fangs raked the skin at the base of her ear, and she shuddered, paralyzed by the simple action.

She knew what he was asking; it was impossible not to note the underlying message. He was inquiring about losing her virginity to him, allowing him to claim her innocent body tonight and for the rest of the nights to come. The thought was frightening, actually, and Rin tensed despite her husband's gentle ministrations to calm her.

Although the hazy fog of pleasure clouded her senses and lowered her inhibitions, the young woman was aware enough to think about her next actions. _I want him...I really do. _She couldn't ignore the ache of the apex between her thighs, steadily growing in demand, notifying her rather harshly of her need. It would be completely satisfied if Sesshoumaru skipped the foreplay and ravished her instead.

But...

There was _one_ problem...

A problem that had always prevented Rin from going beyond passionate kisses and sensual touches with _any_ man...

Yet, before she could address the problem to the patiently awaiting demon still encircling her petite frame from behind, the loud ringing of a phone echoed in both of their ears, stiffening their muscles. Sesshoumaru lifted his head from the crook of Rin's neck and glared at the wall opposite of him, suppressing the urge to growl like a rabid dog. Pretending to ignore the annoying ringing and vibrations coming from the left pocket of his black slacks, however, wasn't going to solve the problem.

_Well, this gives me time to think._ Rin gazed at her husband's turned back as he picked up his ringing BlackBerry and answered the call, but smiled despite the rude interruptions to their former heated moment.

Slyly, she tiptoed to her carry-on luggage bag, which was sitting on the plush carpet beside a large armchair, and removed a couple of items before heading into the bathroom.

Yup, and she didn't forget to lock the door.

Meanwhile...Sesshoumaru was moments away from taking a plane back to Japan and pouring acid into his brother's running mouth.

"I will say this slowly incase you don't understand..." The silver-haired dog demon massaged his temples with his free hand while he desperately fought the crimson red that stained his eyes. And, unbeknownst to Rin, he also fought the warning signs his body sent him: a headache, nausea...tunnel vision... "I. Am. _Busy_. I. Will. _Kill_. You."

_"Geez, I only called to make sure you got there safely! Besides, our old man made me call—blame him!"_

"Well, now you know I'm alive. Goodnight.

_"Wait, since we're already talking, I wanna know something."_ Sesshoumaru prayed for patience as he sharply inhaled—he felt as though a knife just imbedded into his cranium! Goddammit, what the hell was wrong with him?! Was he pregnant and denying it?! _"Have you banged Rin yet?" _

"..." _What the...? How can I 'bang' her if he always interrupts me?!_ It was an enigma! Inuyasha had a knack for calling at the worse times, _specifically_ when he was just about to get lucky in bed! If _that_ wasn't bad luck, then he didn't know what was! "Half-breed, just hang up."

Not evening hanging up on the hanyou this time would make him feel better.

_"Whoa! Are you sick or something? I thought you'd be threatening to melt my balls off or some weird shit like that."_

Wow, Inuyasha actually knew him better than most... What a surprise. "I am fine." _Yes, I'm just very annoyed._

Yeah, as though fury incited a headache, nausea, _and_ dizziness. Whoa—he _was_ dizzy! Shit! How the hell was he supposed to enjoy his wedding night if he could barely focus on one object?

And here Sesshoumaru thought Rin's aromatic scent of lilies was the cause of his inability to concentrate... Then again, he had been feeling this way ever since his wedding reception hours ago—he had merely ignored his ailments.

_"Keh! Don't lie to me! Hmph, whatever. But if you die, I want your wedding present." _

"Wedding present?" Sesshoumaru finally took interest in his brother's pointless babbling, and furrowed his brows at the thought of more 'gifts' littering his living space. "What other present haven't Rin and I opened?"

Too many presents...the horrid memory of seeing pile after pile of gifts invaded his peace of mind...

Couldn't people just give plain ol' money in a card anymore? Geez.

_"I ain't supposed to tell you 'cause it's from Mom and Dad. But I want it."_

"Why?"

_"Dunno. I just do, so shut the hell up."_

"Hang up."

_"Why don't you?! Aha! You _are_ sick! Liar, liar, balls on fire! I bet you_—_!"_

_Click. _

"There, I hung up." _But merely hanging up on the half-breed won't stop more people from calling._ Why the fuck would they even call, though?! Grr! He was on a damn honeymoon!

So, in order to make sure he wasn't further interrupted by his annoying relatives, Sesshoumaru removed the battery from his sleek cell phone and smirked in triumph. Sure, it was a bit extreme—he could've just turned it off—but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

_Now...where the hell is that little bi_— He cut off his train of thought when a strong wave of nausea hit him, and the dog demon abruptly held his breath yet restrained his gagging reflex. Saliva was pooling in the back of his throat, and he knew right then and there that he wasn't going to be enjoying a pleasant honeymoon like most newly wedded grooms. _Dammit..._ His hand rose to cover his mouth.

Once the urge to vomit eased into a mere discomfort, Sesshoumaru regained his composure and acted as though nothing happened. How much longer would he keep denying the obvious? He didn't know. Perhaps the fact that he was ill would sink in the moment he discovered _why _he was ill in the first place. _Something tells me this isn't natural. _

Of course—when was the last time a _pureblooded_ dog demon became sick?

"Sesshoumaru?" The door to the ensuite bathroom cracked open enough for him to see one inspective cinnamon eye glancing at his immobile form. He was actually glad Rin practically ran away from him and missed 'recent events'. Yes, he decided to skip the first step towards recovery: accepting he had a problem.

"Are you sleeping in the tub tonight? Or will you join me on our Tempur-Pedic bed?" The innocent inquiries weren't meant to sound lustful or inviting. His voice was just naturally deep and smooth, and it wasn't his fault he was a bit breathless due to, yes, 'recent events'.

But Rin only eeped and closed the bathroom door in his face when he moved towards it. Sesshoumaru sighed and knocked patiently. Truthfully, his libido hadn't withdrawn, but there was no way he could kiss his wife and promise he wouldn't throw up in her mouth. "Open the door, Rin."

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because... Just because!"

"My patience is wearing thin..."

"Then get a new one!"

Sesshoumaru quirked a brow at her childish retort. He shrugged it off, however. Besides, he knew to an extent why Rin refused to open the door: to put off the inevitable. _It's not as though I am forcing her to sleep with me. _Were all virgins this nervous their first time? Not that he ever slept with a virgin, but his wife had nothing to fear since he wouldn't dream of harming her. _Then again, it's not like we're having a traditional wedding night. _

Nope...chaos might ensue if Rin caught on that he was feeling ill...

"Fine." The dog demon shook his head and turned his back on the door. If she wasn't going to come out willingly, then he would coax her. Oh, and he knew how... "Since we're now husband and wife, I believe I should tell you about—"

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

"What...the...hell..." Sesshoumaru mumbled each word in disbelief and barely refrained from pulling out a shotgun and blasting the contraption that was making a god-awful sound.

He just...it was impossible! Why? Why was he being tortured on his wedding night of **all** nights? Was he so unloved? Did no one value the fact that every time he was finally getting somewhere with a stubborn yet frisky woman like Rin, he was rudely interrupted? **GRR!!**

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

A cell phone was ringing! A fucking cell phone! Who would be calling at this damn hour and whose phone was it?! It couldn't be his BlackBerry because he had removed its battery... But the ringing was persistent and too loud for his tastes; a growl emanated from within his chest.

The silver-haired assassin endured enough torment for one night and was about to rip through the entire suite searching for the cause of his misery, but shuffling on the other side of the door across from him stilled his movements. Instantly, the cream-colored bathroom door was opened by a whirlwind that practically flew passed him and towards a black carryon bag sitting next to an arm chair.

It took him a few seconds to register the whirlwind of white and black as his own wife...

"Where is it...where is it...where—AHA!" Rin, now dressed in a satin white chemise that reached right above her knees, grinned in triumph when she found her phone, a brand new Nokia Tube. She then answered the awaiting call while turning a blind eye to the caller-ID. "Hello! Osa—err, Maebashi Rin speaking."

Sesshoumaru merely stared at her in disappointment; his claws were already flexed since he had been about to vanquish the Phone from Hell.

_"Hey, Riff-Riff! Are you in Venice yet?"_

Frankly, Sesshoumaru disregarded the definition of privacy and listened to every single word on the other end of the line. He growled once he recognized the voice that replied... It was a _male_ voice...a male voice belonging to...

"Kohaku!" It didn't help calm her husband's rage when Rin gushed like a schoolgirl with a silly crush and practically squealed in delight. She all but threw herself on the nearest beige armchair, ready to talk on the phone for hours straight. "You haven't called me Riff-Riff in years! I _still_ can't believe you thought I sounded like a dog when we first met."

_"Oh my gods, I swear you did! You totally woofed!"_

"No I didn't!"

_"Yes you did!"_

"Whatever! You sounded like a chipmunk!" She rolled her cinnamon eyes while Sesshoumaru crossed his arms, barely refraining from giving the human boy a piece of his mind. Why the hell did he feel the need to call his friend when she was on a honeymoon? "Well, Sessh and I just got here like an hour ago. Is there a specific reason you called? I saw you about eight hours ago."

_"I just wanted to—" _

Rin blinked in confusion when she ceased to hear Kohaku's voice on the other line, but only noticed the absence of her phone in her hand until it was already too late. She stared up at her husband—how in the world did he swipe her Nokia without her noticing?—with a cocked head. "Don't be rude, Stranger. I was having a conversation."

"You might as well be having phone sex," Sesshoumaru responded, his voice laced in ice. "At least then I'd know why you prefer to waste your time with _him_ rather than me." He glared at the sleek sable phone in his hand before smirking. And everyone knew that when he smirked, it wasn't because he found something funny...

...it was because he planned to do something sinister.

"H-Hey..." Rin noticed this fact almost immediately and slowly rose from her seat in alarm. The smirk on her husband's face widened even more at the tremble in her voice. "This isn't the time to get jealous! Come on, give me back my phone! Kohaku might tell me I won the lottery or something!"

Not that she played the lottery...

_"Yo! Bark, bark! Answer me!"_

_Kohaku, you idiot...you just had to start barking, didn't you?_ Rin watched Sesshoumaru's expression change from wicked amusement to solid stone as a low growl rumbled in his throat. The fact that it was an _audible_ growl exemplified just how angry he was...

"We can deal with this like rational adults." She began slowly, enunciating each syllable. "Now please...**give me back my phone!"**

"Hn..." He seemed to contemplate the notion for a while until a malicious gleam shone in his honey eyes. "No, I don't feel like giving it back. _Instead_..."

His claws glowed a toxic green and Rin gasped, rushing forward to steal back her Nokia touch screen phone yet failing miserably. Each increasing moment, more and more of the phone's surface melted in the demon's hand.

And he was smirking like a sadistic serial killer during his first kill... Asshole!

"You...you...**BASTARD! GIVE IT BACK!!!"** She tried—she tried so damn hard to retrieve it, but he was just too tall! Sesshoumaru was what, six-foot-five? He was over a foot taller than her! "That's the third phone I've spent my money on this week!"

"It's your fault for ignoring me." Sesshoumaru then strode to the bathroom with Rin on his heels and stood in front of the ceramic white toilet. He faced his wife, who glowered at him with fiery cinnamon eyes burning with a raging fire...

...shit, an image of the Assassin's Daughter staring at him with those same eyes came into mind... He thought he had forgotten her! Apparently not!

"I will kill you and inherit your fortune," the young obsidian-haired woman said in a deadly calm voice. Well, her phone was already a pile of melted goo, so there wasn't much to save... "And I might just eat your dead body, too. With _cheese_."

Disgusting! Cheese was cat food! "That's very loving," her husband replied with a careless shrug. He glanced at the pile of black mush on his hand and then at his enraged wife. Soon, he chose one over the other. "Bye bye, phone."

**"NOOO!!!"** Rin was too late...too late...

The mush slipped off his hand and quickly fell into the toilet bowl; with a swift flush, the once proud and beautiful Nokia Tube swam to the land of 'Poor Phones Tortured by the Maebashi-Osaka Family'. There was no funeral, however, and that was what Rin regretted most as she lamented over her third phone of the week. Yes, the first one had suffered an accident when she received a speeding ticket for driving eighty-miles per hour in a parking lot.

It was safe to say she received another ticket on the same day for deliberately running over 'an unaware cellular phone pedestrian'...

Yet, Rin didn't have the time to mull over her abuse of cell phones—she might start getting sued by phone companies—because the moment she turned to wave goodbye to her recent buddy, a large hand grasped her wrist, hauling her into a standing position. She gasped at the abruptness of it all, but was even more shocked when she was slung over her newly wedded husband's shoulder and unceremoniously carried to...err...

Where were they going?

Sesshoumaru was walking straight...out of the bathroom...past the armchair... _Oh gods._ Her face grew ashen once she discovered his destination...

...their bed.

"W-Whoa, wait a minute!" Rin beat her arms on the dog demon's back, angry that he was ignoring her outbursts, which only led to her hitting harder. "Put me down! Jerk-face! Idiot monkey!" He wasn't listening!

Just to see if it grabbed his attention, she also began to hit his buns... Damn, it was only made of thick muscle! _How does he work-out his butt muscles?_ "POO-POO HEAD! Put me—oomph!"

Since she had been carried unceremoniously, she was also thrown onto the bed in the same coarse manner, but was stopped from retorting angrily by a larger frame quickly ascending atop of hers. Rin gulped and willed her racing heart to settle; Sesshoumaru's clawed hands effectively pinned her wrists against the bed as his intense gaze bore into hers.

_What's he doing?_ He only stared at her...his body close to her...his heat rubbing onto her...

It didn't help that she had changed into her chemise, one that reached slightly above her knee... Well, it rode up enough to expose much of her creamy thighs, so...

"Stranger..." Rin breathed, feeling her chest constrict, but not in pleasure. Her heart raced and her head felt lighter than usual, but it wasn't due to pleasure. She wriggled in her spot and tried to break free, but not to avoid pleasure. "Please...I don't like this... _Please_ let go... Please!"

Here she was, begging him to let her stand up, and he just stared at her! It was becoming difficult to even _think_ as dread filled her heart, as horrid memories flitted before her wide cinnamon eyes. The air around her was too hot, too thick—it was hard to breathe! She couldn't inhale tense, hot air—she couldn't!

Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods...

The memories...

No control...

Lack of strength...

**"LET ME UP!!!"** Rin screamed as though she was being brutally stabbed, but the hands on her wrists became all the more firm, all the more impassive. She sobbed and thrashed her head from side to side, trying to dislodge his hold on her although it was futile.

Nothing worked...she was powerless... No! Not again, dammit! **"GET OFF! **_**GET OFF! **_**SESSHOUMARU!!!!"**

Her screams were bloodcurdling, painful to human ears and much more so to demon ears. Yet, Sesshoumaru acted like he was deaf; his introspective eyes merely observed the tears welling in his wife's eyes and compared it to the sweat beading on her forehead. She was struggling fiercely against him—her flushed skin, tears, and sweat all told him as such. Her heart was erratic and frantic, as though the delicate organ was searching for an escape route out of her chest.

"Get off, get off, get off—**GET OOOFF!!!"**

"Interesting..." Sesshoumaru at long last heeded the younger woman's screams and lifted himself off of her, all the while noting her relief as she gasped and panted. He tilted his head, gazing at her sprawled form on the bed amongst a light green/gold comforter that contrasted with her fanned-out obsidian locks of hair. "You're afraid of me."

It wasn't a question and Rin knew it.

Still, she prolonged an answer. She merely curled her legs that had been kicking from under Sesshoumaru to no avail into her chest, now lying in fetal position. Her whole demeanor screamed the fact that she was petrified and wished to have no carnal contact with _anyone_, including her husband. He would be a fool not to notice the signs...but he wasn't a fool because he had known them from the moment they left their reception.

"You're afraid of me," the dog demon repeated more firmly. He stood from the bed with a heavy sigh and glared at the wall once again. His hand raked his bangs away from his eyes, and he suddenly felt physically _worse_ than he had ten minutes ago.

He felt no remorse for torturing Rin—it had been for the sake of proving his point since she apparently idolized the idea of keeping him in the dark. Yet...for some reason, knowing that she was afraid of him...afraid of him enough that she didn't want to be trapped alone with him...it just bothered him. But why? Why would she fear him?

Sure, many people feared him—he was an assassin and a ruthless businessman under his infamous father's wing. Hell, he _wanted_ people to fear him! He _wanted_ Rin to fear him! It would be better! _So_ much better if she stayed away from him and refrained from establishing emotional bonds with him! He _wanted_ her to exceed in the game he commenced, and the only way she could even hope to be victorious was by ultimately fearing him.

Heh...and what happened when he was given what he had asked for?

It bothered him. It really bothered him.

"Stranger," Rin called out to the silver-haired dog demon standing at least five feet away from the bed, sensing his inner turmoil despite his earlier pledge of apathy. She moved to sit at the edge of the bed, not even registering the comfortable Tempur-Pedic mattress beneath her. "I'm not scared of you."

There was no reason to be afraid of him. She knew _what_ and _who_ he was... He'd never hurt her. Not yet, at least.

Still, Sesshoumaru refused to face her. "So what? Are you suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder?"

Err... "Wow, either you're a good guesser or you're a psychologist." As always, she attempted to alleviate the situation with a carefree smile and a childish shrug. He didn't have to look at her to know she was smiling her troubles away. Yup, and if he got near her she would merely start screaming. "I was actually taking meds for my PTSD."

"Explain." His wife had psychological problems and he hadn't known?

"W-Well..." What was she supposed to say? Rin was at lost for words now.

It wasn't that her statement was untrue, it was just that the origins of her problem...dealt with a part of herself Sesshoumaru was unaware of. And since he was a dog demon, he would be naturally inclined to feel curious and discover the source of her PTSD no matter how many times she told him to mind his own business.

_I can't make up a story. He'll notice my bluff._ But he was awaiting a response; the slight turn of his head alerted her to it. _This is a wonderful wedding night. So romantic..._ "I was...um..." _How can I phrase it in a way that doesn't blow my 'innocent wife' cover?_

"Were you sexually assaulted?" Although he attempted to finish her sentence, Sesshoumaru couldn't help the growl that accompanied his inquiry.

Rin gasped and furiously shook her head. "Heck no! I'm not _that_ melodramatic!" Not that being sexually assaulted was a casual conversation starter, either... "I went through a tough childhood, okay?" And she wasn't lying.

"Surely you lived a pampered life since your father is a rich business tycoon? Or did you unfortunately end up living in a ghetto?" Sesshoumaru actually turned around to catch her expression. As he expected, she shot him a sour look.

_I'm gonna kill this guy..._ "No, I did _not_ live in the ghetto. No, I did _not_ have a pampered life. But I won't bore you with details, okay?" She noticed he was going to interrupt and cut him off with a dramatic sigh. "Take the hint and shut up already! I'm not talking about it!"

"So you're not afraid of me?"

"No."

"You're afraid of men in general?"

"_No_..."

"No?"

"Gender doesn't matter."

"I see. It solely depends on you being pinned down to a surface with no escape. Were you _almost_ sexually assaulted...by a pedophile?"

"NO!" Argh! He couldn't take a hint! She knew his goal was to attain sufficient information from her, but grr!!! She didn't want to talk about it! "Just shut up. _Shut_. _Up_."

"There's one thing I don't understand." Rin supposed there was no harm in allowing one more question from him as long as it shut him up afterwards, so she only nodded in compliance. Sesshoumaru strode over to their bed and stared down at her before continuing. "I've already pinned you to a wall _and_ a bed, not to mention a car, without letting you escape prior to this night. You never reacted in a panic."

Ah...their little, eventful Moscow trip... She smiled, recalling that Sesshoumaru didn't get lucky that night because of an intrusive call from Nincompoop. Hey, that happened tonight, too! "Remember what we were doing when you pinned me?"

His gaze remained unperturbed and steady. "So you're saying you must be distracted first and _then_ I can have my way with you?" Rin furrowed her eyebrows; what was he, a rapist under cover? But she merely shrugged—what the heck! It could be fun! "Now _that_ is interesting..."

Yup, he was definitely a creeper...

"Um...now that you know..." A blush overcame Rin's determination to remain unaffected throughout the night, and her cheeks were stained bright red. Sesshoumaru smirked, perceiving what she was alluding to. "Uh...are you...do you still wanna...?"

"Are you inviting me to your bed, my sweet?" The dog demon kneeled before the blushing young woman and took her right hand in his, but managed to maintain a serious façade. Inwardly, though, he reveled in Rin's innocence... Gods, fuck the 'no kissing wife because of sickness' rule! "Because I am _very_ much willing to accept your kind invitation."

Air left Rin's lungs and she was unable to respond; she hadn't known a man could possess such a wonderful, husky voice...smooth and silky...deep and coaxing... She gulped when Sesshoumaru pressed his lips against the soft skin of her palm, slowly travelling up her arm, making her mind swirl in a rush of desire and pleasure. No one could tell her Sesshoumaru was a virgin—he was _definitely_ experienced with women!

Now, since she was distracted by the wonderful yet needy feeling of arousal, the dog demon was able to gently push Rin back onto the bed, sinking when the mattress did. His lips teased her flushed skin, adding to its sweltering heat, but they soon reached a much more desirable destination: rosy, plump lips belonging to a sweet, innocent maiden.

He pressed his nose against her crimson-stained cheek before whispering, "If you feel uncomfortable, tell me when to stop."

She inclined her head and he wasted no time to proceed.

Sesshoumaru didn't rush as he thoroughly tested the softness of the velvet that composed Rin's lips. He first tentatively brushed against her bottom lip, tantalized by her scent, mesmerized by fantasies of her sweet taste. Never had he taken the time to savor the moment with a woman; _never_ had he taken the time to make her melt in his arms like Rin currently was. His wife was the first—his wife as special amongst his past lovers.

Although...she _shouldn't_ be special...he _shouldn't_ allow his head to spin every time he kissed her...

Yet, she responded to his kiss with the apprehension of an inexperienced virgin, but soon her aggressive counterpart emerged since she wished to have a taste of him as well.

It was improper to deny his lady anything she desired, right? He inwardly smirked at her forwardness when her tongue slipped past his slick lips and sought out his own taunting appendage. She _seemed_ innocent but was truly a lioness—how? Her hands were nearly ripping off his pristine white shirt, for once!

Yes, and this was the same woman who had been screaming her head off...

At this point, however, Rin's hands weren't the only ones wandering. Sesshoumaru slid his right hand along the woman's hour-glass figure, tracing her curves with the tip of his forefinger's claw. Once he reached the hem of her chemise—a rather _sexy_ satin chemise—Rin broke their passionate lock and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't you _dare_ rip my one and only chemise or I will seriously devour your flesh." Heheh, unbeknownst to her, his claw already tore a hole in her gown... She didn't need to know! Nope, it was useless information!

"Stop worrying and kiss me."

Rin smiled tauntingly, lifting her left leg in order to caress her husband's side. The growl rumbling his chest on top of her was enough evidence of how much he liked her ministrations. "Why don't _you_ come kiss me?"

Ah, so she switched to her vixen personality... "Must I do all the work?"

"Hm...you're right." She fisted her hand in his silver hair against his scalp and crashed him down upon her, hungrily devouring his lips nibbling and sucking until they were red from the abuse. Her husband was in euphoria; so much that his wandering hand found its way under her chemise, solely stopping to caress her outer thigh...

Rin gasped in his mouth when his hand slipped to her inner thigh, close to the insatiable ache in the core of her being. The hand that was still fisted in his hair tightened its grip while her toes curled and her muscles tightened. Gods, she didn't know extreme pleasure was also painful! It was like...like...dammit, she **needed** him—only he could help her achieve blissful equilibrium again!

And she let him know by sliding her hands down his back, raking her fingernails across the smooth plane of toned muscle...

Sesshoumaru finally left her lips alone and continued his assault to her neck, licking the curve of her chin and throat, brushing his sharp fangs along the pulsing vein on her neck. But he reached an intrusion...

...her chemise.

"Take this shit off!" He growled in the midst of his passion, annoyed that the...the damn _thing_ prevented him from exploring past her shoulder, from feeling her bare skin against his.

Rin giggled as he fumbled to remove the article of clothing without ripping it in half, but was silenced by a demanding, harsh kiss that arched her back and forced her to dig her nails into his back.

But just when Sesshoumaru was at long last getting somewhere with the stupid satin chemise...

"_Fuck_..."

...in came the return of 'recent events'.

Rin blinked once her husband rested his forehead—whoa, it felt like it met a fire!—against her bare shoulder, and she cocked her head when she thought she heard him groan. Was he groaning because he was an impatient dog with a never-ending libido, or because he was in _actual_ pain? "Sessh?"

Another groan...this time she knew it was due to physical pain.

His forehead was searing her skin but she had thought nothing of it; they were both heating up as their passion doubled and tripled. Yet...was his forehead burning hot because he was...sick? _Can demons even get sick?_ Well, she had proof right in front of her eyes.

Uh huh...and her proof manifested itself into action... One second, Sesshoumaru was rendered immobile on top of her; the next, he bolted to the bathroom and...

_Oh no...he _is_ sick._ Rin bit her lip at the retching sounds coming from the bathroom, but forced herself to stand and go to his aid. After fixing her half-off chemise, she came to a halt at the entrance of the ensuite.

"Sesshoumaru?" She stopped hearing the sounds and peeked around the doorframe. He was kneeling before the toilet bowl while holding his head in between his hands, his elbows propped on the latrine's ledges. His expression as well as his eyes was covered by his bangs, but it wasn't like she'd be able to see them from her angle anyway. "Are you okay?"

It was a pointless question, yet he took the effort to shake his head, nonetheless. Rin sighed in relief—he wasn't about to pass out._ Geez, why am I hesitating to go in? Vomiting isn't contagious!_ But nausea might as well be...

Therefore, Rin stepped completely into the bathroom and kneeled behind her husband. _Now what?_ Well, for starters, she pulled back his long hair and rubbed his back comfortingly. _Okay..._now_ what?_ Uh... She could—

Nope, nope, erase that thought. Sesshoumaru leaned forward again and regurgitated the evening's dinner. Rin continued to rub his back despite her cringe; she had never imagined witnessing such a vulnerable moment for him. Ha, knowing the dog demon, he would be in a bad mood for the rest of the week just because she saw him throw up.

Five minutes and ten toilet flushes later, Sesshoumaru stood on shaky limbs and walked over to the sink to brush his teeth. Ugh, even the smell of fluoride toothpaste made him nauseous... He suppressed a gag in the nick of time, yet it was enough to worry Rin.

Dammit, it was the last thing he had wanted to do! Now she was going to fuss over him!

"Should I find you any specific medication? I have Motrin in my purse..." Rin suggested, completely lost and wrecked with concern. _How hadn't I noticed the signs before?!_ Ugh! Her new husband was a perfect actor and a proud, stubborn fool! He should have _told_ her he wasn't feeling well instead of instigating...err...gah!

"N-No. I'm f-fine." The stutter in his voice annoyed Sesshoumaru to no end and he slammed his fist against the marble counter, snarling at his unusually pale reflection in the mirror. How weak...what a weak fool! He was reduced to a fucking nauseous invalid!

And he had a mission to carry out this week!

But he knew what the cause of his sudden sickness was...

_Rangaweed_—_a demon's poison... _His eyes bled crimson at the thought while Rin merely cowered behind him, not knowing how to deal with his silent, irrational rage. _If this is your way of punishing me, Father, then my gun will find its way down your throat. _

No doubt about it.

* * *

**A/N: WOOT! Okay, so most of you out there probably want to kill me, but the lemon cannot come yet! Wait two more chapters! :-D **

Next chapter:** InuTaishou and Hideakio have a meeting with a certain someone but little do they know Kagome is listening in... It's time for Sessh to carry out his mission but he gets an unexpected surprise... Hehe!**

**Sooo...what are our favorite assassin-daddys planning? What is this surprise that are going to shock the pants of Sessh? Exactly what is the role of Kagome, a spy, in this story of assassins? Did I just put her in because Inu needed a wife? What is Izayoi doing while all this is happening? When will Inu rever to his sadistic personality again? Is Rin ever going to go on a mission? **

**She kicks too much ass to be sent on petty missions! :-D **

**REVIEW! BECAUSE THE AUTHORESS FINALLY GOT HER SUGAR COOKIES AND IS GONNA GIVE YOU SOME! Not. :-D **


	10. Planning and Plotting

**A/N: Um...I'm back and busy as ever... My sister left for her camp job today so I'll finally have my computer back! YES! Now I can concentrate on updating Love Never Dies! So if I don't update in a week or two, it's because I'm working on chapter 41 of of Oh My Gods!**

**CONGRATS TO **no tears left to cry** FOR BEING MY 100th REVIEWER FOR THIS STORY!!! WOOT!!! I'd give you a prize, but I can't send it vuia UPS, so...this chappie is dedicated to you! Or the next one, whichever you prefer... Hehehe! See what giving me cookies does for your karma?**

**Anymelon, I can't believe Michael Jackson died! I liked him before he went body dysmorphic crazy! IT'S TOO SUDDEN! Just like Heith (sp?) Ledger...I'm still incredulous over that...**

**Review Replies: **

stella:** GAH! I wish I ccould be serious sometimes, but I can't! I just can't! I probably said this a million times... *sigh* What a dilemma. I want to be serious but it comes out to be funny or sarcastic. Oh Well! :-D I'm just glad readers like you are pleased with the outcome! Here's another chappie for you, but it's not _too_ hilarious... I think for once I managed to be serious at some points... **

raptor-akida:** You're back! You didn't review last chapter--I noticed! :-) Well, I'm still dedicated to this story for the time being...I haven't run out of fuel yet, surprisingly... :-D Hope to read your review again!**

princess-myu:** Weeell...only one more chapter until the loving comes...or what you consider love. O.O The lemon I wrote is pretty intense... But sadly, the babies aren't coming for a long while... :-D**

seyna:** WOOT! Thanks for taking the time to review and saying such wonderful words of encouragement! Here's an update for you! :-D I hope you review again! **

* * *

**Assassin's Daughter 10**

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Dammit...he still felt like shit...

Three days into his honeymoon that would last a week and he was still feeling the effects of Rangaweed poison: it was a weed that mainly affected his gastrointestinal system and was not fatal. Of course, headaches were thrown in the mix, along with his inability to stare at one spot on the wall for longer than three seconds...

Heh, his father was clever...the perfect way to torture his son was by preventing him from having a traditional honeymoon...

Yes, three days into his honeymoon and he had yet to get laid. And that was partly why Sesshoumaru was pissed off—_extremely_ pissed off.

Sprawled across a couch in the living room section of his suit, many people would say that he was comfortable. Well, they wouldn't be mistaken, yet his comfort was ignored by his obvious anger at being rendered practically immobile. It didn't help that his recently wedded wife had bundles and bundles of energy...

...and she seemed relieved that she was able to stall her marital duties.

Sesshoumaru growled for the millionth time that morning and placed a cool hand over his aching eyes, savoring the momentary relief it allowed him; he could barely open his eyes but he wasn't even tired. Gods dammit! His free hand gripped a remote control that just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time...and unfortunately, it suffered a great deal, almost to the point of—

"Hey! Stop suffocating the remote control! We have to pay for that, ya know!" Then again, she wasn't the one paying for their honeymoon—neither was Sesshoumaru... Rin shrugged her shoulders. She didn't care anymore. "Yoo-hoo! I just personified a remote control and you have no sarcastic retort for me?"

Her husband mumbled something under his breath, but all she heard was a deep growl warning of a severe future punishment if she continued to trespass on dangerous territory. The young woman rolled her cinnamon eyes and treaded closer to the dog demon sprawled like a lazy cat on the sofa hardly accommodating his large frame.

Truthfully, he didn't have the right to be pissed—she was at loss as to why he was suddenly sick but like hell he was the only one frustrated!

Rin stared down at his form with crossed arms for a long time, wondering when her husband was going to acknowledge her presence and stop being a jerk. At long last, however, he loosened his grip on the black remote control and it crumpled on the carpeted floor. The poor thing had definite curves, though...

Perhaps it was content looking more feminine?

"Maebashi Sesshoumaru." For some reason, saying his full name gave Rin a sense of power, control. It was so much of an intimidating name that even the person saying it noticed how easily, how smoothly it rolled of the tongue and converted into a potent verbal weapon.

She hid a wicked smirk—she was supposed to be serious here! "Fine, since you won't say anything, I'll just take a seat."

His long legs didn't budge an inch from where they took up nearly most of the couch, so Rin merely sat on top of them, ignoring the growl that she was certain she heard. _All Stranger does is growl at me nowadays._

But there was no reason to be angry with her! She hadn't done anything wrong and she wasn't about to wallow in guilt for something she never committed!

_Great. I married an asshole._ "Look, I know you're pissed that I'm witnessing your vulnerable moments, but—"

"Shut up."

Rin blinked at Sesshoumaru's blunt yet sharp retort and instantly deflated. _Now what?_ He was being stubborn and would merely ignore her statements even more. She had tried reasoning with him for the past three days, though it was all in vain! _This is what happens when an aggressive dog demon is forced to hug a toilet._ "Don't tell me to shut up."

His eyes were still covered by his right hand and he seemed pretty comfortable, even somewhat lazy. Heh, his wife knew it was quite the contrary, however. "_Don't_ lecture me."

"Okay..." Getting angry with an equally angry dog demon wasn't a smart idea, so Rin settled for another method. What did one do with a frustrated demon on the verge of a killing spree? _I might have to comfort his ego by singing the 'Macho Man' song._ "Look, if you don't want me to treat you like an invalid, then get off your lazy ass and take me on a tour of Venice."

Ah...one golden honey eye popped out from under his hand to glare into her determined eyes. At least he was finally reacting to something she said. "If I _could_ get off my lazy ass without keeling over, then _perhaps_ I'd think about it."

"You're just making your sickness sound worse than it is! You're getting better—I know it! You haven't thrown up since yesterday morning!"

"I feel nauseous."

"So what? Pregnant women feel nauseous all the time and they still move on with their lives!"

"I'm _not_ pregnant."

"Are you positive? Should I buy you a take home pregnancy test to make sure?"

"..."

"Shame on you, Stranger. I can't believe you already cheated on me. I wonder who the father is... Is it Nincompoop?"

And of course, the conversation abruptly ended with Sesshoumaru turning his head to face away from her—not that he was even looking at her in the first place—while Rin shook her head, mere seconds away from reaching over to slit his throat. _That's it! Next time Izayoi and Kagome try to teach me about dog demons and their weird moods, I'll definitely listen! _

As long as she wasn't watching a movie with half-naked hot men starring in it...

Well, Rin ultimately failed at alleviating her husband's silent fury, and _supposedly_ she was an assassin under cover. What an embarrassment... Then again, she was dealing with one of her kind, too; she was lucky there wasn't a gun anywhere near Sesshoumaru. But dammit! He had to stop being a dick and ignore the fact that he was physically feeble at the moment!

It was such a beautiful day and the sun was out unlike the other two days, so obviously Rin wanted to seize the perfect chance to sight-see the city before it rained...again. Grr, Sesshoumaru, however, was making things difficult! He didn't even have to _do_ anything—he could dangle off her arm for what she cared!

Ugh...she hated staying inside for too long... She needed fresh air, sunlight, and shopping!

"You know what?" The young woman finally arrived at a decision. She had tried to console her husband, she had attempted to reach at least reach a stalemate with him, but it was futile. There was absolutely nothing else to do other than allow fury to consume her—again, it wasn't a good idea. Ha...especially now that he knew pinning her against any surface terrified her.

Shit...he had discovered one of her weaknesses... Rin shook the thought out of her head.

"What do you want now?" Sesshoumaru mumbled in reply, not really caring and apparently content in keeping his eyes closed and cool. And hey, he stopped growling!

"I think one of the bell boys has a crush on me. I mean, I don't speak Italian fluently, but I'm pretty sure he told me I was more beautiful than any Roman goddess." Her words caused a reaction from the dog demon since she was certain his leg, which was still underneath her bottom, just twitched.

Oh, and the warning growls were back! Hurray!

Rin secretly smiled to herself, yet surprisingly, she wasn't making the story up. One of the bell boys in charge of room service and storing her luggage _did_ have a crush on her! Every time she ordered room service, he made sure to be the one delivering the food and offering the beautiful lady answering the door a charming smile to boot. He was cute, though, with olive skin characteristic of many Mediterranean natives, a rich Italian accent, and disarming sapphire blue eyes accented by his mop of dark hair.

All in all...he was probably a slut. No matter!

"Anyway, he's gorgeous; he thinks I'm gorgeous, so we're just one happy couple! Gods, his ass is so—"

The next thing she knew, much to her amusement, a clawed hand reached behind her head while a pair of lips crashed upon hers, effectively silencing her with their aggressive, dominating rhythm. A moan escaped her before she could stop it, and she briefly wondered how an apathetic demon of all people managed to drug her senses with only one kiss—one touch of lips. Rin allowed Sesshoumaru to thoroughly 'claim' her, allowing him to express his dominance and frustration all in one bruising kiss.

Heh...he was trying to stake claim when their marriage hadn't been consummated yet... She was still a virgin and it wasn't her fault other men with perfect physiques were tempting...

Sesshoumaru pulled away before their passionate lip-lock turned into a tongue-lock, and she met his glare dead-on, smirking in triumph as he noted her amused expression. A glower settled on his face once he realized he had been fooled, and the dog demon bit back a furious snarl prior to lying back down on the couch. This time, however, he watched each one of her movements like a hawk stalking its prey.

"I wasn't making it up, for your information," Rin said, happy that she was currently in a position to negotiate successfully with a die-hard businessman. "You got competition with the several Italian men I've seen so far... They must be very family-oriented because a few of them already asked me to marry them..."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her, knowing full well she was trying to make him jealous and force him to tour the city with her. Hell, she was winning...but he could still fight! "I'm certain you declined their endeavors, correct?"

"Dunno. The bell boy and I have a date at seven." He raised a dark brow at her nonchalance, and frowned when she suddenly giggled. This wasn't funny at all! "Don't worry! We've been dating for three whole days—I'll use protection tonight if you remind me!"

_I might just have to kill all the men working in this hotel._ As long as it halted Rin's assault on his pride dominated by canine possessiveness... "Stop lying."

"How would you know I'm lying if you never accompany me anywhere?"

Now she was serious and her smile completely disappeared. Rin shifted on the couch so that she was straddling her husband's waist, her face centimeters away from his face. Heck, he had the gall to smirk at their current position—he hadn't even touched her the past three days because he was busy being a conceited pussy!

"Let's get one thing straight, Sesshoumaru," Rin whispered in a deadly voice, enough so that the dog demon's amusement immediately evaporated as he listened to her next statement. Good—for once, he was paying attention with his ears, not his dick. "I'm not the bitch in this relationship—there _is_ no bitch in this relationship."

"Then what are you? A crazy angry woman?" A bitch was a female dog... Did Rin secretly wish to be a man?

"Yes, I'm the crazy angry woman who will beat the shit out of you the moment you disrespect me." Her cinnamon eyes were nearly blazing; it was the effect of the dam protecting her patience breaking. "I know dog demons have this weird notion of being dominant, but there's no way in _hell_ I'm going to be flattered and scamper off every time you disagree with me."

Wow...he loved it when she played a dominant role in their makeshift 'relationship' but if he continued to disobey her she really would kill him. Sesshoumaru stared directly into furious eyes bordering on black, and it was only now that he acknowledged the fact that Rin was challenging him and his authority over her... Gods, her lips were still red from his earlier assault...he might just ravish her entirely next time...

"Sunshine, it seems that you do not understand the meaning of sick. S-I-C-K. Play around with it a bit and you'll—"

"_Shut_. _Up_." Repeating his earlier retort made her feel even more in control and Rin leaned in closer until her nose was a hairsbreadth away from his. "You know _damn_ well you're fine—laziness is making you feel worse than you should be."

Sesshoumaru's stone expression lacked any signs of acquiesce; truthfully, he was afraid of _no_ one and would therefore carry out _no_ one's bidding. His word was final, not the other way around. Rin would just have to deal with it even if she was more attractive than usual as a fiery, dominant woman. "I'm not leaving this hotel, my sweet, not even for you."

"Oh sure, since I'd be happy to lay around here all day with you instead." Why couldn't he see that she just wanted to spend some time getting to know him? It was perfectly normal to go on 'dates' after an arranged marriage! Her requests weren't ridiculous, either—all he had to do was accompany her around town.

That was _all_.

Merely sensing his strong, assuring presence beside her was enough. Maybe _then_ her illusion of a peaceful vacation away from her nagging father would come true! Surely Sesshoumaru desired the same kind of serene outlet before they flew back to Japan and resumed their game of indifference towards each other? How...how couldn't he?

Didn't he remotely care about her, the woman who now shared his life?

But the answer was obvious. Yes...it was painfully obvious.

His icy golden honey eyes narrowed at the challenge Rin presented to him, ignoring the solemnity marring her usually expressive and cheery face. As another second passed by, another moment in tense silence as his wife waited for his response, the corners of his lips slowly rose upwards in a diminutive smile more potent than any blade coated in poison.

Once his smile appeared and remained firmly in place, the young woman straddling his waist knew for certain that she had lost this battle.

"Leave." Sesshoumaru's voice was a mere caress against her lips; his mouth was so close to hers...he taunted her rather than claimed like before. Yet...even though the simple word fell from his tongue like a feline's gentle purr, it stabbed Rin right where he aimed to strike: her feeble, human heart. "If you can't handle it, then _leave_."

He was letting her know...reminding her...that forming lasting bonds with him...

...was useless.

It was either she stayed, played the game and gambled her heart...or she left with her emotions in tact.

Rin was rendered speechless; partly because of the cruel smile imbedding itself into the depths of her mind so she'd never forget the sadist she married, and the other half due to the fact that...she truly, _truly_ had nothing to say in return. She lost—simple as that.

The underlying meaning in the dog demon's whispered statement was noted by her almost instantly—he expected her to lose...expected their marriage not to last longer than a year at most.

She narrowed her eyes and allowed a similar cruel smile to form on her lips. Like hell she would be outdone by him...like hell Sesshoumaru was the only one slowly rising the ranks in their silent game... Perhaps she wasn't as heartless as him; perhaps she hesitated to break hearts and push people close to her away. But, dammit, she was a cold-blooded murderer just like he was.

Heh...she'd show him what the Assassin's Daughter was capable of.

Her new plan put her secret identity at risk...but the end result would be worth the penalty.

So, without another word, only responding to her husband's cryptic threat with her revised version of his sadistic smile, Rin stood from on top of Sesshoumaru and straightened her orange blouse. She shared a glance with the taciturn dog demon analyzing her every movement, yet broke their gaze in order to retrieve her yellow and orange purse from a nearby end table. And from the couch, a certain silver-haired assassin was still smiling in both triumph and malice.

For what reason?

Because Rin just left...though, he figured she had gambled her heart and lost.

**

* * *

**

InuTaishou didn't know what to think. He was at loss as to how to even _feel_... Was he supposed to feel guilt or remorse? Was he supposed to be overwhelmed by sentiments of grief or anger? He didn't know.

The dog demon sighed, momentarily covering his eyes with the palm of his hand as he leaned forward on his executive chair, resting his elbows on his glass desk. Hideakio sat across from him staring at a nearby wall very intently, as though it revealed answers given exclusively to him from an ancient god. His hazel eyes were as cold as ever—his stiff muscles never moved for longer than a split second.

It was only now that InuTaishou began to hate how large his gargantuan home office was. Hell, he should have dissuaded Izayoi from taking the smaller available office as her private knitting room. What the heck did she need a knitting room for?! She didn't even know how to knit! The extra space in his office only served to add to the desolation and emptiness it already contained...only dreary colors such as navy, black, or even brown met his eyes.

Yuck. The same old-same old. No wonder he was somewhat depressed.

"You're very bold, my friend. Hmph, then again, I shouldn't be surprised." Hideakio's deep, emotionless voice abruptly broke the tense silence between them, and the dog demon glanced up. The man in his mid-forties leaned back in his chair to crane his neck backwards, facing away from his friend.

He seemed...uncomfortable... What a foreign notion with someone like Hideakio.

InuTaishou shrugged. He knew what his childhood friend was referring to. "Naraku wouldn't dare to be foolish in my own home. If he tries to trick us, then I'm prepared."

"He should know never to attack an enemy in territory familiar to him." It was a simple war—and even assassination—concept. Engaging in any type of bloodshed was more beneficial to the predator in an area where he had the upper hand, not vice versa. Hopefully Naraku was aware of this rule. "So...I suppose you won't change your mind?"

"I cannot," the silver-haired dog demon sighed, raking his bangs back as he usually did when he was frustrated or cornered in a stressful situation. "I mean...if you really think about it, agreeing to Naraku's demands will serve to help our children, at least for a moment. It will make them appreciate life for what it is."

"Yes, but at the cost of them hating us in return. They will never look to us again if they can help it." Hideakio had stated InuTaishou's underlying fears; both men shared the same guilt...the same torment when it came to raising their offspring as killers. "Rin is close to loathing me...hell, I think she inwardly does but forces herself not to think about it. After this...she may even try to kill me."

That was his largest fear, believe it or not. What was worse—dying by a stranger's hand or by his daughter's?

"Sesshoumaru wouldn't hesitate to shoot me if he finds out... Inuyasha might be shocked enough to revert into his Reaper personality and torture the hell out of me." Chills ran up his spine at the mention of his son's overtly sadistic alter ego. Not even he could deny the truth—Inuyasha was even more dangerous than his older brother. "In simple terms, Akio, we are _fucked_."

But the plan had to be set in motion...it _had_ to be...

Hideakio readily agreed, but both men were thinking along the same lines: the upcoming meeting, their upcoming decision _needed_ to occur. Allying themselves with Naraku was disgusting and revolting, of course, yet the benefits were unimaginable! A petty demon like Naraku could never hope to control three of the most dangerous and murderous assassins in the world! And that was what InuTaishou and Hideakio were counting on; once Naraku was eradicated from the face of the Earth...then life would go back to normal.

_Hopefully._

Besides, should everything fall according to plan, there would be nothing to worry about. Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Rin weren't fools—they overcame each one of their obstacles in order to achieve the title of 'assassin'.

The life of an assassin was about sacrifice...each mission made one even stronger...

Until that assassin was killed by another.

Soon enough, a knock sounded in the room, bringing the two men sitting in the office out of their thoughts. InuTaishou cleared his throat before glancing at his childhood friend and saying, "Come in." Almost instantly, Jaken nervously opened the door and stood to the side to allow a tall, onyx black-haired demon to enter.

Obviously, the imp was terrified beyond belief at the malicious yet powerful aura he sensed.

"M-My lord, I pre-present to y-you Sumeragi Naraku." His silver-haired master merely inclined his head in acknowledgement, and the dark-haired demon smiled at the imp. The smile, however, was menacing...it was warning him of eavesdropping in the conversation or even smiting him altogether...

It was safe to say that Jaken ran out of the office with his soul still in place, though!

"Take a seat, Sumeragi-san." InuTaishou gestured towards a black leather chair next to Hideakio's across from him, and the dark-haired demon took a seat prior to settling his crimson red eyes on his humble host. The menacing smile had not yet left his face.

Hideakio barely resisted the urge to wipe that damn smile off the arrogant demon's face. How dare he be so smug just because he had won one battle out of many! "I hope you're not getting ahead of yourself, Naraku. You have not earned my respect and therefore I shall not bow my head in your presence."

"Your respect is trivial to me," Naraku replied in a smooth voice not as deep as InuTaishou's but equally commanding and terrifying. His clawed right hand moved to sweep back his onyx bangs from his penetrating crimson eyes. "I'm only here to sign the legal documents. There is no need for you to get ahead of yourself, Hideakio."

The next thing Naraku knew, a cool blade was pressed against his neck, and he quirked a brow at Hideakio, who had swiftly leaned forward to threaten him. He softly snorted at the human's attempt to seem intimidating—he should be insulted, but was only amused. "How cute, InuTaishou! Our little Aki-chan isn't using plastic knives to scare people anymore!"

"Watch your mouth, vermin!" The sharp Swiss knife dug deeper into Naraku's skin, enough so that a pearl of blood slid onto its pristine silver blade. "This knife will carve out your throat if you're not careful, _Naku_-chan." Ah, it was only now that the crimson-eyed demon narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

InuTaishou shook his head at the scene before him and prayed for patience. _This is going to be a long meeting... _

"We're not school girls referring to each other with pretty nicknames—act like men and put the weapons away until _after_ this meeting." Hideakio wasn't relenting; instead, he was locked in a battle of wills with Naraku gradually emerging as superior.

Meanwhile...the blade was digging deeper and deeper...

"Hideakio, enough!" Izayoi was going to kill him if blood seeped onto the carpet! Weren't assassins supposed to be calm and collected?! "Naraku, you should know not to goad him! I will kill you myself if you don't keep to yourself!"

"My apologies." His apology was far from remorseful, however, since his eyes were still trained on Hideakio's hazel ones, calculating him, analyzing him... At long last, he broke their gaze and faced the owner of Maebashi Corp. "Well? Shall we begin?"

"Ahem, yes." InuTaishou first made sure Hideakio was once again settled in his seat, and upon seeing a grim, emotionless expression on his handsome face like usual, he continued with the meeting. "As you are aware, Hideakio and I have contemplated your requests and decided to fulfill them."

The hazel-eyed human looked far from happy at his latest important decision, and only hoped to gods he was making the right choice. Heh, he was only kidding himself; he knew his head was going to be rolling one day and his daughter would be the one holding the blade. _Dammit Rin, I know better than anyone that you are a stubborn woman_—_more stubborn than even your mother. If you don't kill this bastard, then you should not be known as my daughter._

He could hardly wait for the day the news announced the death of Sumeragi Naraku. The sweet vision flashing before his eyes welcomed a relieved smile on his grim face. _But, then again, that will also be the day the newscast announces mine and InuTaishou's deaths._ It was inevitable at this point, but he accepted the damage he was causing his daughter and son-in-law.

There was no denying it—he was a ruthless man down to the core and he loved it.

"It was only a matter of time before the two of you agreed," Naraku commented with a smug smirk, leaning back in his chair with the arrogance solely a conniving businessman could muster. "Now I know why everyone says you're a pair of intelligent investors."

"Calm yourself. Our consent doesn't mean we're just going to hand you two-billion yen right here and now." Even InuTaishou was becoming annoyed at his 'colleagues' over-confidence. Who did he think he was—the prime minister? "Instead, you'll have to _earn_ your two-billion yen."

"Oh really? How so?" Naraku was confused and wondered what these two friends were planning. Hopefully they weren't expecting him to start scrubbing floors because he might just abduct the Maebashi's green toad-butler thing and force him to do the dirty work.

Uh huh...he wasn't getting paid, either.

Hideakio liked the change in the office's ambience. It only changed due to Naraku descending in the ranks of superiority to inferiority. "Simple. What you desire is my daughter and InuTaishou's sons for your own pervasive desires. Well, why don't you make use of them to retrieve two-billion yen for your 'experiments' without having to borrow money from us?"

"By signing the papers I've laid in front of you, all rights over the employment of Maebashi Sesshoumaru, Maebashi Inuyasha, and Maebashi Rin will be legally transferred to you in one year. In the meantime, they will participate in missions that will raise money for your experiments."

Naraku accepted the papers from InuTaishou and briefly looked over them. In the intricate language of lawyers, the set of sixteen papers indicated the employer switch between the three business tycoons. Finalization of the files would take one year to complete, and in that time, he would gain control of three assassins to do with as he pleased. Furthermore, he would also have the necessary amount of money he needed to carry out his plans without wasting any of his own riches.

_Excellent. _

"So, what are these conditions you were talking about earlier?" Naraku asked as he flipped through the papers neatly contained in a dark blue folder.

"It's not too arduous, I assure you," InuTaishou replied with a light smile touching his lips, which was mimicked by Hideakio. Naraku lifted his eyes from the papers and faced each company owner suspiciously. _What are they planning?_ "You will have the ability to do as you please with my sons and daughter-in-law, but on one condition."

"Please be kind as to tell me what this condition is—I do not like to be kept waiting."

"Well...while you will attain three skilled assassins, Hideakio and I will retain our number one spy no matter what."

Naraku smirked and shook his head. "I have no interest in anymore spies whatsoever."

The two friends, however, were not at all deterred. "You say that now, Naraku..."

**

* * *

**

Calm.

She was calm and composed just as any normal person should be while living with the Maebashi family. Heh, she had six years of practice amongst apathetic dog demons and an intelligent femme fatale hiding under the mask of a cheerful housewife. The moment she married her husband and became a part of this family, she had known her life, her pattern of thinking, and even her heart would change...

That was why Kagome was not terribly shaken by the conversation she just heard from the other side of InuTaishou's main office doors.

The raven-haired woman merely sighed and removed her ultra-sonar sensing device from her ear and hid it inside her jean's pocket. It was extremely small—even smaller than a regular hearing aid—and allowed her, as a spy, to listen in on conversations between important officials from the outside of soundproof walls. She only used it for special occasions...but the fact that Naraku was in her father-in-law's home was special enough.

And now she knew what InuTaishou, Hideakio, and Naraku were planning all along.

_Well, I shouldn't be surprised._ Although it sounded like the two men were selling their children to the devil, it actually wasn't. In contrary, it was more like the oblivious devil was about to become dethroned as the King of Hell and his murderers would triumph...in the afterlife.

_Naraku definitely doesn't know what he's getting into. The Assassin's Daughter is menacing by herself; accompanied by the Sadist and the Reaper of all people, she is practically an immortal killer._ She still couldn't believe Rin's father feared her because she was such an adept murderer... He feared her enough to plot her own death.

So...where did the Maebashi's number one spy come in?

Kagome realized that her part in InuTaishou and Hideaki's plan was to play the spy coming in between the two sides of the battle—she was a friend to her targets, and a faithful employee. Naraku had yet to decipher Hideakio's hidden meaning when he basically said he would regret his words about not wanting a spy in the future...

_But what the heck is he going to do with Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, and especially Rin? What experiments? They're killers! Does he think a little bribe will win them over?_ Ha! He was going to drop dead before he tried anything with them!

Mission or not, those three wouldn't allow themselves to be controlled by someone like Naraku. Their fathers had exclusive power over them, but not some arrogant bastard. Sadly, the three assassins wouldn't live long enough to note the difference.

That was the master plan.

_Either way, this is my cue to initiate the plan and at long last carry out what I was hired for._ Kagome stepped way from the outside of her father-in-law's office and turned to the kitchen. First, she was going to fill her empty stomach and then she would head home to her husband. _I wonder when I'll finally be able to stop lying to Inuyasha. I wonder...I wonder if I really fell in love with him in the first place. _

If she truly loved him...she would abandon her future task...she would...

...she wouldn't be plotting against him...against his _life_.

He thought he knew her...but he really didn't. He never did.

_Well, it's the result of marrying a double agent hired by his own father._

**

* * *

**

"What...the _fuck_...?"

There were very few occasions in which Sesshoumaru was shocked beyond belief. He was able to count each occurrence on a single hand, and one of those shocking times happened to be when he discovered the true identity of Sunshine. Damn...he was still surprised and incredulous about the revelation... How was it possible to meet one's future wife two days before being betrothed?

And to go so far as to share a room with her...almost _sleep_ with her...

Okay...that had nothing to do with his current situation.

Sesshoumaru stared at the scene before him in complete, utter shock. For once, he was unafraid of completely displaying every single one of his emotions on his facial expression, but at the moment, his persona was overruled by shock. Shock, shock, shock. It was written on his forehead, it was crawling up his ass—he was shocked.

"What the fuck...?" The only phrase he could manage at the moment sounded highly unintelligent and very Inuyasha-like, yet it wasn't as though he had the mental capacity to care. "What in the seven fucking hells is this shit?!" Now _that_ was something his brother would say in a predicament like this...

After Rin had left on her little adventure around Venice, Sesshoumaru actually allowed himself to feel a bit guilty. Sure, his father warned him not to become too attached to her, but the elder dog demon wasn't around to watch his every move, and he couldn't have employed spies in Venice... So, the Sadist for once felt guilty at having been deliberately and needlessly cruel with his own wife, who didn't know how to deal with his apathetic moods.

Perhaps the next time he saw her he would apologize indiscreetly...

Yeah, he'd give her a massage!

Or not.

Well, guilt soon rubbed off and exhaustion swept over him; he finally relented to the sudden urge to sleep and promptly took a nap on the couch. It was very uncomfortable, however... Then again, standing to walk to a bed took too much effort. Anyway, once he roused from his morning/afternoon nap, Sesshoumaru glanced at his expensive platinum Rolex wrist watch and noted that it was seven o'clock PM.

He had slept for more than _three_ hours...

And then he remembered that he wasn't actually on a honeymoon...but on a _mission_...

Now here he was in the hotel room of the mistress of his former target, the rat demon named Claude, staring with wide golden eyes at...err... There was no word to describe it. All he registered was the fact that Lady Adeline was no longer among the living...ahem, she was basically—and literally—fucked up.

What irked the dog demon the most, however, was the blatantly obvious note sitting atop of a dresser across from the...um..._horror_ that read in feminine English cursive: 'Anything you can do, I can do better'. The initials A.D. were on the bottom of the pristine white note paper, which greatly contrasted with the red, copper color of the..._horror_.

It didn't take a genius to trace the note to its roots: the Assassin's Daughter.

_She's here in Venice...she followed me here? Or...did I unknowingly follow her?_ No, his theory didn't make sense at all! Why would any assassin waste their time stalking a fellow assassin? Not unless she was hired to tail him, and he highly doubted it. _But..._ Gods, it was too much of a coincidence that she was in Italy!

Sesshoumaru took a moment to think, averting his gaze—no longer blinded by shock—from the _horror_ at the other end of the room. He thought back to when he was in France and first caught sight of the beautiful and deadly Assassin's Daughter. Their meeting had been pure coincidence, he conceded.

Truthfully, he never heard mention of her in Japan... She could've been there after he had returned, since she was Japanese like that vermin rat had said before he was killed.

And then Sunshine came in...the evening after his mission... Both women had the same dark hair, same dark eyes...

Whoa! Was it logical to compare an assassin to an overly cheerful chatterbox?! Rin didn't have a single murderous bone in her body excluding when she was angry! It wasn't fair that he was suspecting her of...

But she was the only one in Venice with him... The words on the note were the same words she had deviously whispered to him on the night of their wedding reception... And by analyzing occurrences prior to his recent arrival in Adeline's hotel room, the young French woman with fiery red hair must have been killed only about two hours ago. Rin left on her mini adventure about three or four hours ago...

The times coincided a little _too_ well.

_I must admit, for some time now Rin reminded me of the Assassin's Daughter. Hmph. Perhaps my subconscious is alerting me to what I refuse to believe. _Not to mention she was the daughter of a wealthy business tycoon just like his own father; it wouldn't be strange if she was raised the same way he was: as an assassin.

No, it was highly probable with a ruthless man like Hideakio. _Then there's no question to it. Rin is a suspect. She might be...the Assassin's Daughter._

Sesshoumaru glanced around the room once again, his grim eyes taking in the gruesome sight before he left. Blood was splattered on the walls; the originally cream-colored carpet was stained crimson. The queen-sized bed in the center of the modest room was a complete mess with sheets strewn everywhere since the bed hadn't been made prior to Adeline's murder. Hell, it looked as if she had been _dragged_ off her bed.

Heh...Adeline's corpse was unmentionable. Mutilated was a good word to describe it, though. Yes...he'd accept mutilated...and severed...and bloody...and...err...the _horror_.

The Assassin's Daughter had relieved some stress, apparently...she made quite a mess...

No, she purposely carried out the assassination as conspicuously as possible. She had wanted him to encounter her work of art...to suspect those closest to him of being her...

Now a new question arose: how in the hell did the female assassin know about his mission to kill the rat demon's mistress? Did she have access to target files Miroku surely kept in his laptop's database? Of course not! He had installed the latest and most expensive security systems on his computer—_no_ one could infiltrate and steal top secret information.

So then...if Rin was a suspect...if Rin was the Assassin's Daughter...how did she know about Adeline?

Gods, now Sesshoumaru was confused and he hated being confused! He resisted the urge to tear the room apart—more than it already was—and settled for his infamous terrifying yet deep growl. At long last, he decided it would be prudent to leave the crime scene, although it hadn't been discovered as of yet, and promptly left through the room's small balcony. Heh, he made sure to bring the little note with him, as well.

But even though there was evidence supporting and against Rin, Sesshoumaru was positive of one thing.

He would force a confession out of her...no matter what.

Even if it meant...betraying her privacy and ultimately...

...betraying her trust.

* * *

**A/N: END! OMG! SESSH NOOO! DON'T HURT RIN!!! SHE'LL KILL YOU! :-D Wow, so a lot of things happened in this chapter...I hope you guys got my underlying messages! :-D If not, feel free to ask!**

**Next chapter: Sesshoumaru uses ice and apathy to interrogate Rin...pretty thoroughly... And what's this? A lemon at last? Hehehe! **

**Sooo...will there finally be an uninterrupted lemon next chappie? What is Sessh going to do to Rin? Did Rin really kill Adeline? If so, how did she even know about Adeline? Are InuTaishou and Hideakio really planning to kill their children? What are Naraku's experiments? Would Kagome really betray Inuyasha? Does she really love him? Does Inu know she's the perfect actress?**

**I hope so! Until next time! REVIEW! OR THE LEMONS WILL RUN DOWN THE STREET AFTER YOU! :-D **


	11. Two of a Kind

**A/N: So yeah...I couldn't help updating! :-D But to my Oh My Gods! readers out there, I have half the chapter done! WOOT! I'm getting somewhere after two months! Gah, I gotta go play tennis tomorrow early in the morning...me tired...**

**Review Replies:**

seyna:** Wow, you reviewed twice! :-D I was like, "wha...? Is that possible? YES!!" Hehehe! Well, here's your update! And be glad I couldn't wait to update! I like hot things...like Sessh and a lemon...like me... :-D OMG! I'M THE GREAT PRINCESS OF SOUTH AFRICA!!! No, no I'm not. But at least someone thinks I'm great! Thanks! :-D **

raptor-akida:** WOOT! I'm back again! Ugh...so tired...might not update ever again...need brownies... (get the hint? ;-D hehe...) I'm glad you're still here urging me on! DON'T LEAVE ME PLEASE!!!! It strangely pleases me to see a reviewer who has reviewed since the first chapter...**

stella:** LOL! I think runaway lemons are scary, though... How will we ever get it back?!?! I NEED THE LEMONS, DANG IT!! :-D Poor Sessh, always getting interrupted before he gets laid... I don't think Rin understands his pain. *sigh* Rin, why can't we trade spots? Ah, Michael Jackson...nope, I still can't believe he's dead. It's been more than a week, too. **

forever-angel:** Konnichiwa!!!! I'm doing good! Tired, stressed-out, but good! I hope you're good, too! I like it when people are happy! I'm so awkward when someone has a problem...I'm not a good advise giver unless I'm saying to suck it up and move on with life. Yeah, that's not very sympathic now is it? :-) Well, I hope I don't lose my charm for this story! Can you believe I'm alreayd thinking about a sequel?! And I promise that it won't be a sucky sequel--I hate sucky sequels! YUCK! But I can't wait to start it, but first I have to finish this story! :-D BYEZ! **

Irivel:** Ah, Sessh is a very determined person... But then again, so is Rin! Hehe, I wonder what the future holds for them--when they fight, they really, really fight. :-D Well, I hope you like this chapter! No, you better like this chapter or I'm gonna gut your little fishies and make them into men. O.O Whoa, I just scared myself right there...**

WARNING!!!** As promised, there is a lemon in this chappie! I hope my account doesn't get deleted for this... Just remember that this is a virgin writing about sex! It isn't 100 percent perfect! I tried, though...it's the thought that counts! **

**ENJOY THE CHAPPIE!!!**

* * *

**Assassin's Daughter 11**

* * *

It was close to nine in the evening when Rin finally opened the door to her and Sesshoumaru's honeymoon suite in a prestigious Venetian hotel overseeing the Grand Canal. Frankly, she had shopped her misery away; the boxes upon boxes of items she purchased had to be hauled into the room by four bell boys steering four separate carts filled with them. But at least she was in a better mood than when she had left on her shopping trip—now she didn't have to resort to murdering Sesshoumaru in his sleep!

Besides, shopping was a safe outlet for frustration and anger, correct? Well, it worked in the case of her sporadic temper and hefty bank account...

"Alright, guys, just pile the boxes in an orderly fashion across from the couch! Oh no wait—I think they'll fit better behind the couch!" Rin stood in the middle of the sitting room directing the four bell boys to their duties of lifting and carrying her merchandise while smiling in light of her good spirits.

She didn't even register the fact that her husband was nowhere in sight. "Ah! Rafael, be careful! That box is full of glass souvenirs!"

A blonde Venetian glanced up at the woman around his age and then shifted his gaze to the humungous box he carried in his arms. He could barely see in front of him and she wanted him to be careful? The woman was insane! Why the hell did she shop so much in one day?! All women were strange, goddammit, but he heeded her request to take precaution, either way.

That was, if he could manage to take a step towards the couch without falling over.

"_Dea_, where would you like this box to be placed? I'd hate for you to have you waste your time sorting it later." A dark-haired man with a thick Italian accent addressed Rin with great respect, and she blinked before turning to the man who referred to her as a goddess. She immediately recognized the handsome man as the bell boy with the crush on her—was his name Domenico?

Hmm, yeah, she'd settle for Domenico.

"Um..." Hold on a second—where _did_ she want her box of expensive and fragile dishware to be placed? "Do you think I can just have it sent to Japan by air mail?"

The four bell boys stared at her incredulously. There was no reply to her question, unfortunately...

"Okay..." Rin shrugged off the tense silence that followed her inquiry and merely asked another question. "Does this hotel offer any kind of extra storage facilities?" Again, she was met with silence and more blank stares.

_Geez, everyone must've forgotten English or something._ The cinnamon-eyed woman huffed and ignored the diligently working bell boys in favor of crossing her arms. _Gods, Sesshoumaru is going to kill me when he sees all these boxes!_ There had to be at least fifty in total! _Wow, I really went crazy shopping for absolutely no reason at all... _

About ten minutes later, the bell boys finally completed their mission and patiently awaited their reward for their hard work. Rin supposed they deserved a cash reward, so she tipped them—quite nicely, too—and was thanked with a gracious smile from each one of the good looking Venetians. Oh, and Domenico didn't forget to take her graceful hand in his and press his lips against the back of her hand in a farewell.

He was lucky Sesshoumaru wasn't anywhere in sight or he would have had his lips ripped off...but his 'goddess' was blushing too much to care.

At long last, she was alone in her hotel suite. Yet something about the solace she was surrounded by was wrong...foreboding, even. Hell, _was_ she even completely alone? There weren't many places a certain grumpy silver-haired demon could have ventured to all alone. Nope, he wasn't a big boy yet!

_Maybe he's just hugging a toilet again._ All he complained about was throwing up—it would do him good to stop whining and actually pretend that he was still sick!

Rin might even forget their earlier altercation and offer him some Motrin again...

"Sesshoumaru?" Calling out for him when he obviously neglected to come greet her after she returned fifteen minutes ago was useless, but the cinnamon-eyed woman wished to disperse the suffocating silence surrounding her. She was no fool...she knew at any moment now that danger would pounce on the oblivious Assassin's Daughter...

If she wasn't dealing with her own husband, her favorite weapon would already be in her hands...

_But why in the world is he so quiet...? I know he's here, though..._ It confused her immensely and her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. _He can't still be angry about our earlier 'disagreement'—Sessh is too apathetic to care. _

Rin literally crept towards the bedroom section of the hotel suite, and she leaned over the wall's edge in order to scan the room before entering. The bed was made, so it hadn't been touched since this morning, and everything else was in impeccable condi—no wait...the balcony doors were open...

_Now_ she caught a glimpse of long silver hair flowing along with the nighttime winds! But what was Sesshoumaru doing just standing in the balcony at seven in the night? Was he glancing at the beautiful scenery? _Nah, he's not the type to enjoy that kind of stuff._

"Sessh?" He refrained from answering, and Rin craved to know the reason why he was deliberately ignoring her. She was only a few yards away from him—he definitely heard her but he barely budged an inch! "Don't tell me you still have your head stuck up your ass."

No reply. And the silence in the room was beyond uncomfortable.

_Something's wrong._ It was actually unsettling how she, an assassin, allowed fear to cloud her judgment when it came to dealing with her equal. Sesshoumaru was not a demon a puny human like her could adequately handle alone.

Yet, Rin gathered her wits and took a few steps forward until she was also standing on the balcony behind him. He still hadn't acknowledged her presence, however, and it served to unnerve her. Perhaps this was what he was trying to accomplish...deteriorating the protective shields barricading her emotions in order to utilize them to his advantage...

So, then, what was he trying to achieve?

"Sesshoumaru, answer me!" She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of proving that she was emotionally compromised in anxiety-causing situations because she wasn't! For goodness sake, she suffered through _numerous_ deadly predicaments and she maintained her collected façade perfectly! "Grr! What the heck is wrong with—?!"

"Rin." Sesshoumaru simply said her name and yet Rin felt as though cold water had been dumped on her. The chills running up her spine were merely caused by his smooth voice uttering her name—nothing else. "Have you watched the news recently?"

"Err..." For some reason, she knew she was going to regret talking to him. "_No_..."

"Turn on the television."

"Okay..."

Rin walked back into the room and continued towards the living room section of the suite to do as told. After she completed her 'task', the young woman flipped through the channels until she found a news broadcast and was shocked to see the latest occurring right in Venice. Hell, the remote control fell from her hands as her right hand covered her gaping mouth.

The clip of the murder scene the cameraman had recorded was absolutely gruesome—it wasn't censored at all! Gods...blood soaked the entire room in a hotel not too far from hers...there wasn't one blank space left that wasn't colored with crimson... Investigators littered around various parts of the room standing over what Rin discerned to be human limbs that seemed to have been sawed off from a woman's torso...

_Oh my gods..._ Bile rose in her throat despite the fact that she had seen worse scenes in her life. _But I'd never...how can someone stand to do such a thing to a...a...?_ She couldn't even finish her thought in disgust. Perhaps she was an assassin born and raised, yet at least she mastered the art of erasing her tracks during a mission and wasn't cruel enough to completely mutilate a body!

Professional murder and civilian murder couldn't be grouped together or even classified together at all! Yeah, neither one was acceptable, but a few assassins harbored some sort of respect for their targets and refrained from hacking up their bodies after death! That was one of the worst insults possible!

There were people who neglected to care about those they were about to kill, but to go so far as slicing a body into multiple parts and literally spraying their blood on the walls indicated a fearsome obsession or just plain insanity!

"Her name was Adeline Baptiste."

Rin lightly gasped when Sesshoumaru suddenly appeared behind her since she was still disoriented by the crime scene she just saw on live television. He merely picked up the fallen remote and turned off the flat screen TV without facing her, though. "Such a shame that she died so terribly."

_What was the point of making me watch this?_ The young woman eyed the back of her husband's head, where he currently stood between her and the television. But he finally turned around to glance at her, and Rin barely stopped herself from taking a step back in conspicuous fear. _He looks like...like he..._

...was he suspecting her of murdering Adeline?

That was what it appeared like to Rin as she took in Sesshoumaru's cold, analytic honey ices and stone expression. Truthfully, it felt as though she was being judged by a god determining whether or not she could ascend into heaven or burn in hell for the rest of her life! The intensity in his cold eyes, however, alerted her that he was not in the best of moods.

Heck...if she wasn't careful...he might just uncover the truth about her identity...

"S-Sessh?" For the moment, Rin allowed her apprehension to show clearly, and was relieved that she was frightened enough to seem genuine and convincing. He hadn't even complained about the mountain of boxes behind the couch yet—he _was_ serious! "You're scaring me." Her words rang true.

His blank stare...his emotionless face...it terrified her... Why?

Because she didn't know what he was truly capable of.

"Rin..." This time her name huskily rolled off his lips, and she couldn't help recalling three nights ago when she was an inch close to losing her virginity... "I don't know you."

"That's okay because I don't know you either," the young woman responded, blinking her cinnamon eyes before taking a deep breath to settle her nerves. Her instincts were telling her to run, to beware of this mysterious demon, yet she wasn't heeding them, sadly. "I'd ask you out but we're already married."

She failed at relieving the tension between them. "If I don't know you, I can't trust you."

"Well, um..." _Shit, he _is _suspecting me of killing Adeline!_ And she absolutely didn't commit the crime! Did she look like a merciless killer? No! "Trust is something that we have to build on, ya know? It's not the end of the world yet!" She smiled brightly, fooling herself into believing she was innocent of his silent accusations to no avail.

Hell, she wasn't convincing herself or him.

"But why should I be with you if I don't trust you?" This time it was Sesshoumaru who smiled, and like all the other times, it made Rin's heart sink to the pit of her stomach. She wondered how only one demon possessed the most powerful weapon any assassin would die to attain: a wicked smile. "Tell me, why did you marry me?"

"Arranged marriage, remember?" She chuckled nervously, playing the role of an innocent newly wedded wife very well or so she supposed. "My father and your father got together and—"

"You could've declined, but you didn't."

"I didn't have a choice!"

"You could've been less willing, but you weren't."

"I'm trying to make this marriage work!"

"You could've escaped your father, but you failed."

"Wait—what?!" Dammit, Sesshoumaru was guessing too close for comfort! Rin laid wide eyes on her smiling husband, and right then and there she figured he knew something she didn't. Argh, what was it?! "Just what the hell are you getting at, Maebashi-sama?!"

Using an honorific detached her from him, allowed her to stand on equal, 'professional' ground that did not include the relationship of husband and wife. But the dog demon was undeterred and merely shrugged his shoulders as though they were participating in boring small talk. He walked back to the bedroom, knowing full well his wife followed him.

"Nothing...nothing at all." At long last he replied to her former outburst, and Sesshoumaru turned around once he was in the room, facing Rin with less intensity and analysis than prior. "I solely wish to understand something."

"You're confusing me. Gods, you're just confusing the crap out of me." Rin raked her obsidian bangs back and heaved a shaky sigh, but she didn't know if she should still be afraid or on guard. It was still too early to fail her mission, sheesh! "Just tell me what you want to know, Stranger, and maybe I can enlighten you."

"My sweet..." Sesshoumaru closed the space between them in one long stride, and he now stood too close to Rin for comfort, so close that her blood began to rush through her heart towards her face. "_Dolce mio_..."

_Oh crap, he's even sexier when he's speaking Italian._ A bright red blush settled on her cheeks and her eyes averted from her husband's gaze to prolong further embarrassment. But her meek actions weren't accepted by the taller dog demon because he only hooked a finger under her chin and brought her gaze to meet his once again.

He stood in silence for a long time, merely staring into her bright cinnamon eyes that seemed to highlight her young, somewhat childish face. Innocence was deeply rooted into her essence—it was a powerful tool any woman used to her advantage at one point in their lives; Rin was no exception.

Her cinnamon eyes were accented by supple lips that were always plump and pink, ready for the taking, ready to be bruised with his ephemeral claim. Sesshoumaru smirked at the fact that despite everything he suspected her of being, he still desired to stake claim on the puerile woman...to make her his and only _his_ forever more.

There was no use in lying to himself—no one knew just how badly he wanted to believe that Rin was as innocent as her façade!

But he _hated_ being deceived by others, including his wife! Before he continued his mission of monitoring the Osaka family through Rin, he first needed to know what Hideakio was planning, and he ultimately needed to know what his daughter was planning.

InuTaishou and Hideakio were two of a kind—it wouldn't be a coincidence if they had both raised their children as assassins following in their footsteps. As of yet, however, Sesshoumaru was unsure if the hazel-eyed human was truly an assassin or not...

"I'll ask you again," the dog demon began, though his voice was no longer icy and sharp but patient and firm, "why did you marry me? You hesitated for at least fifteen minutes before signing our marital documents; what finally changed your mind?"

Rin shook her head. Not even she knew the answer. "I married you because I-I..." What was she supposed to say? That she basically stalked him ever since she laid eyes on him in France?! In the end, she was just going to tell him the truth. "Well, you're the first guy I met who didn't show an interest in me."

"Not show an interest in you?" Sesshoumaru was astounded to say the least. On the night of their first personal meeting, he recalled pinning her to a wall and keeping her lips quite _busy_ for a good ten minutes...

"Yeah! I mean, during our flight to Moscow you were like a statue—you never glanced at me twice until I annoyed you into playing Go Fish with me."

True, true... But his apathy had been partly due to his mission. "So I suppose you became intrigued?"

"Yup!" Rin smiled as she discreetly tried to take a step away from her husband—his body heat, hell just his body was making her dizzy—but she ended up completely pressed against his tall frame when he wrapped an arm around her waist, abruptly pulling her to him.

_Great, I'm worse off than before._ "Uhh..." What else could she say to plead her case? "I just...I just wanted to know more about you. I felt like I..._understood_ you."

Sesshoumaru nodded, comprehending her words since he remembered her going on and on about how she knew he was a good person and crap. He supposed her desire to be closer to him and 'unveil' the mystery about him was a normal occurrence among humans. It was instinctual, wasn't it? The impulse to push oneself into discovering new things, increasing one's bank of knowledge no matter how dangerous the journey was natural and common.

Yes...Rin was only starting her perilous trek.

"And I assume that's why you didn't oppose a marriage to me."

"Pretty much."

"Interesting..."

"Can you let go of me now?"

"No. Why should I?" Sesshoumaru was finally out of 'interrogator mode' and back into his regular asshole-but-sexy-as-hell self. Rin was increasingly aware of how well sculpted his abs were... "Am I making you uncomfortable, Sunshine?"

"Yeah, sure! Uh huh...yeah..." She gulped as he moved the slightest bit, causing his muscles—especially the ones on his abdomen—to flex against her petite form through the thin white T-shirt he wore overtop.

The young woman nervously chuckled, yet was glad her husband couldn't see her blushing face with her head shoved against his chest. _Gods, he should wear skin-tight shirts more often..._ Weren't those uncomfortable?

Guess not.

_Oh well, this is what I get for marrying a sex god._ But why did she have to be an inexperienced virgin?! She knew he enjoyed watching her fumble around and blush nervously before she turned the tables on him! Fiend!

Even so... _He's still moving. Is he dragging me somewhere? _Her hands were flat against his chest, and her fingers curled a bit, savoring the way hard muscle felt beneath their tips, teasing her mind with fantasies of just sliding her hands up and down his chest for eternity...

She'd memorize every single groove, every single pattern that created the perfection called Sesshoumaru—yes, he was a god, dammit...nothing else but a—

Rin's thought process was cut off when Sesshoumaru suddenly stopped moving, and she hadn't even noticed that she had shut her eyes until she reopened them. For some reason, she was still pressed against her husband, but they were currently standing in front of a white wooden door beholding a silver knob.

An allegedly _normal_ door.

_What the heck?_ She blinked repeatedly, wondering if she was missing something important. Sesshoumaru then reached forward with his free hand to open the door, revealing thick darkness cloaking an empty yet extremely narrow space.

In other words, it was a closet. "Hey, what's goin—? Oomph!" And the next thing Rin knew, she was pushed into and locked in the aforementioned closet.

Err...wait... Locked?!

"Sessh?" No answer. "Sesshoumaru?!" No answer. "I know you can hear me, for goodness sake!" No answer.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!_ It seemed like no big deal...sure... But Rin wasn't a normal person. Nope.

If she was terrified when she was pinned to a surface by another person, it meant she was terrified of being trapped in a tight space without room to move and/or attempt to free herself. It meant she was terrified of being helpless and at the mercy of someone else. It meant...

...it meant her post traumatic stress disorder finally gave way into something more severe but common: claustrophobia.

And Sesshoumaru realized this attachment to her little secret.

"I swear, if you don't let m-me out..." She stopped in mid-sentence when her voice began to break and shake; she took a moment to grab a hold of herself even though it was no use. "_Please_..." It was a broken, pleading whisper that went unheeded.

Rin's breathing soon hitched, and from then on it became difficult to inhale and exhale to a full extent—she was breathing harshly as her heart raced and threatened to burst out of her heaving chest.

More memories infiltrated her brain...memories of her intense training..._horrid_ training...

No control...

Lack of strength...

Couldn't breathe...

"S-Sessh!" Tears were in her voice while they gathered in her bright cinnamon eyes, and in the darkness, Rin attempted to find the door knob, but once found it refused to turn. She suppressed a sob and willed herself to calm down—it wasn't as though she was training!

She was already an assassin! She...she already surpassed all her trials...no m-more...

_Why_ was he torturing her? What the hell did he want from her?! A fucking confession?! He wasn't getting it! She wasn't forsaking her mission just because she was overcome by fear, just because he _discovered_ her number one weakness!

Hell, if she had to suffer like this the entire night...oh gods, on second thought, she might cave in...

_Come on, Rin, breathe...breathe!_ The only reason why Sesshoumaru was preying on her fear was because he _knew_ it was a fear in the first place; a trained assassin observed a target's weak points in order to utilize them later. She did the same thing sometimes! Therefore, she should know that all she needed to do to counter him was freakin' _control_ herself!

Hell, she practiced meditating for situations like this!

But she couldn't... Her knees threatened to buckle, her eyes were darting from wall to wall trying to find a way out, her arms were consumed by goose bumps; she was overwhelmed by her own anxiety! There was no way she could undo the damage unless the freakin' door opened, and only Sesshoumaru could grant her such freedom!

That asshole refused to, however!

**BAM! BAM!** "DAMMIIIT!!!" Rin let out her tumultuous anxiety and terror in one long cry of anger and frustration, banging on the door hoping sheer force would crack a hole large enough to ease her worries. Alas, pounding her aching fists against the door did nothing of the sort. "SESSHOUMARUUU!!!" **BAM! BAM! BAM!** "LET ME **OUT!!!" **

The more she screamed, the more her throat became raw and painful. The more she screamed, the more air her lungs lost and failed to regain, basically choking her own cries as she attempted to replenish the amount of oxygen in her system. But it was fucking impossible to inhale air!

**IMPOSSIBLE!**

She couldn't breathe in the first place! And for god's sake, the bastard she married wasn't opening the door any goddamn time soon! Her shouts morphed into panting and sobbing while her bruised hands covered her face, her eyes.

Just knowing she was trapped built up dread in the pit of her stomach, sickening her, making her nauseous... She felt as though her gut was twisting, squeezing all the air out of her lungs in order to prolong her torture... Her head was light...soaring...detached from her body...what was happening...?

No air...shaking...sweating...scared...dizzy...chest hurt...needed air...

_P-Panic attack...?_ Was it that? Yes...panic attack...she was suffering a panic attack...and a possibly fatal one.

"_Please_," Rin mumbled helplessly, suddenly overcome with fatigue and numbness—her whole body was composed of gelatin...she hoped it wasn't the sugar-free kind...she liked sugar... "Se'shou...m'ru...please..."

What seemed like ages later, however, the door to the closet finally opened, and a gust of cold air swept over the disoriented young woman, reenergizing her, alerting her to the fact that she was no longer trapped. Her half-lidded cinnamon eyes slowly rose to meet emotionless golden honey, and almost instantly, Rin felt a surge of anger run through her like a shock of electricity, reviving her aching muscles and constricted lungs.

She all but threw herself out of the closest and into a wide open space with abundant air, not caring at all how foolish she looked when she fell on all fours and merely stared at the ground in relief.

It took a while for her to regain her footing and settle her breathing pattern, yet it wasn't an impossible feat, and luckily she was able to control her body enough to not need to call an ambulance. _Sesshoumaru..._ Thinking of him poured more anger into the painful wound of her pride; he must have at last confirmed his suspicions of humans being weak, emotional wrecks.

Rin, still kneeled on the carpeted ground, suppressed the equivalent of a snarl.

Even looking at him could prove to be fatal...and not on her part.

But the gods were against her because her silver-haired torturer kneeled on one knee right beside her, observing her avoidance of him and plausibly enjoying it. He reached out to touch her, but his wife slapped his hand away viciously and dared to shoot him the deadliest glare he had ever witnessed in his life.

Her teeth were bared like a furious lioness while her obsidian locks of hair framed her turned head, adding to her wild appearance. This time her cinnamon eyes weren't bright and innocent; instead, they burned to charcoal, searing and unforgiving to touch.

Sesshoumaru tilted his head curiously, not denying the fact that the wild, untamed side of Rin intrigued him more than her mask of endless happiness. It reminded him that she wasn't the saint everyone was led to believe—rather, she was just as mysterious and dangerous as he was. Both of them shared dangerous minds...dangerous aspirations.

Both of them probably committed dangerous deeds and dangerous feats.

Maebashi InuTaishou and Osaka Hideakio were two of kind.

So Maebashi Sesshoumaru and Osaka Rin were also two of a kind.

"You want to kill me right now, don't you?" There was no response agreeing or disagreeing with him. "I did it for a reason."

"I could have _died_..." The young woman's words were softly said but they carried enough force to shock the silver-haired assassin. She was extremely furious...pissed beyond reason... Possessing a voice undermining her anger, Rin issued a silent threat promising a slow, arduous death should he overstep his boundaries again. "I could have fucking died!"

"I wouldn't have pushed you so far."

**"LIKE HELL!"** Rin stood in a fury and barely stopped herself from pouncing on the overly pompous demon in front of her. She gritted her teeth as her fists shook and lips curled, but not even her own anger could arouse fear in that bastard! Damn him to fucking hell! Any demon would be scared of her! He must have been more desensitized than she had been!

"Rin—" The dog demon was interrupted by his wife's furious tirade.

"How the hell am I supposed to feel after you abused my fears **TWICE** already?! I can't live in peace knowing that anytime you pull me in for a hug you're actually going to lock me in a freakin' closet! Who the _fuck_ locks his wife in a **closet** of all places?!"

"Calm down, Rin." Sesshoumaru also stood, yet at a more leisure pace than his wife had, and sighed languidly, crossing his arms in a gesture that screamed the fact that he hardly cared he emotionally abused the person who now shared his life. "I'm capable of many things, but I won't kill my wife. Alright?"

She narrowed her eyes at him in return, flaring with more newfound anger at his insensitivity with her psychological terrors. "Don't tell me to calm down..." Rin crooned in a soft voice again that seemed composed and collected, but her body was still trembling in poorly restrained fury.

Sesshoumaru quirked a brow. "Oh? And what should I say—keep panicking?"

"Don't you _dare_ tell me to calm down..." The fire within her was spurning...burning her insides... It desired release as she desired a way to extinguish it... She wanted to hurt him so badly, pump adrenaline into his veins so that he'd run away from the dangerous mind he married...

"Well, then." Of course, the dog demon was never one to listen to orders—he followed his own principles, even if they killed him. "_Calm_. _Down_."

**POW!**

What the—?!?!

He couldn't believe it... She just... Rin fucking punched him! And it fucking **hurt!**

Sesshoumaru's head was still snapped to the side due to the force of the younger woman's blow, yet he glared at her from the corners of his eyes, allowing his cool composure to drop as his own fury boiled. How _dare_ she hit him!

Heh, she looked so smug about it...the damn smirk on her face told him as much. Grr! His eyes bled crimson for a moment prior to clearing into honey again.

This impudent woman needed to be taught a lesson...

"I told you, but you just don't listen, Stranger," Rin said in a simple tone, shrugging her shoulders as though she didn't just hit her husband. Ha! What the heck did she care if it was categorized as abuse? He emotionally abused her, so the least she could do was physically abuse him! Not sexually, though... "You want to kill me right now, don't you?"

Repeating his earlier words felt beyond amazing.

The young woman was met with silence, but she was undeterred. "Whatever! Just don't expect to be welcomed into _my_ bed—sleep on the couch or roll on the floor all night. Oh, and one more thing." She made sure he was listening; he was still glaring, though, so that counted. "Thank you for erasing the little bit of trust I placed in you. Now you're more of a Stranger than before."

"..."

A carefree giggle passed her lips at his silence as though it was a good thing. "Good night!"

Still no response.

Either way, she wasn't going to stick around long enough to hear a reply from her bastard of a husband who tortured her for a 'reason' she was still unaware of. Hell, she hardly cared. Therefore, Rin turned on her heel, leaving the dog demon to his own musings whatever the fuck they were, and walked across the room towards where she kept her night clothes in an empty wooden chest near the bed.

All the while, a satisfied smile graced her attractive face.

However...if she thought Sesshoumaru lost..._well_...

"What was that about me sleeping on the floor?" **Slam!**

Rin didn't bother gasping when her husband slammed the hatch to the wooden chest closed, nearly slicing off her fingers as well, and merely scowled at the blooming of another argument with him in the same day. "I don't understand what your problem is today! First you bitch at me for trying to make you spend time with me, then you lock me in a closet, and now you're pissed off that I punched you for payback!"

"Like I said earlier," Sesshoumaru said, his voice low and deep, "all I want is to understand something."

"Then what is it once and for all?!" Was he going to start again with his nonsense?! She didn't kill Adeline! Even though she couldn't exactly tell him that... "What else are you going to do to me to prove your stupid point, huh?! Well go ahead and lock me in a closet again! I'll just punch you in the balls this time—_then_ I won't have to take birth control anymore!"

He remained indifferent to her tirade, much to the younger woman's chagrin, and merely continued with his former statement. "Do you plan on betraying me in the near future?"

"..." Rin lacked a viable retort to his question that wouldn't immediately arouse further suspicion. She instead gaped at her husband with shocked cinnamon eyes and wracked her brain for a retort to his probing gaze and inspective questions. "I-I..." When she stuttered, his golden honey eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Why...how would I betray you?"

She knew how, though...

"Your father and my father are allegedly friends, but they can easily turn into rivals." Sesshoumaru leaned his head closer towards Rin, forcing her to tread away from his intimidating stare but her back met the surface of the chest. She gulped, now aware of the fact that she was trapped once again... "It would be prudent to keep an eye on even your closest friend, don't you think?"

His wife realized that while it seemed like the dog demon was referring to business affairs, he was actually denoting to assassin affairs. And while his words rung true, it was impossible to agree with him and ultimately concede to his suspicions.

"So..." Dammit, he took a step forward, knowing full well that she was backed into a corner with no room to escape. His body pressed against hers while his right hand grabbed her chin, making sure she faced him at all times. Rin didn't cower away like usual, though; she merely snorted and glared in return. Fear was dominated by her growing agitation with a certain asshole. "You think my father forced me to marry you as a spy?"

It didn't stray too far from the truth, sadly...

"I don't know, you tell me." The silver-haired dog demon refused to reveal more than that. "_Are_ you a spy?"

"No."

Sesshoumaru smiled. He wasn't stupid enough to believe she would actually reveal her true identity. "My sweet, if you won't tell me the truth, then simply ease my worries and tell me you won't betray me in the future."

The hand he held Rin's chin in loosened its grip and moved to gently caress her rosy cheek, coaxing her... He was playing their little game again, but this time he was attempting to keep his enemy closer than his friends...

Cinnamon eyes deepened into dark charcoal once again; fury was consuming her being at his rudeness, his goddamn impassiveness, his...his...argh! She didn't have to suffer due to his own insecurities, even if his suspicions about her were correct! Even if she lied to him and continued to lie to him for the rest of their lives!

He was adeptly moving forward in their game...tricking her into submission...waiting to make her swear on her life that she wouldn't betray him in order to kill her with good reason later on... As if!

"Heh. Tell _me_ you won't betray me in the future and I'll return the favor," Rin whispered with a cunning grin, satisfied with the way her husband's golden eyes darkened into a thick honey meld. How cute, he was losing at his own game. "Why should I promise anything to a bastard like you? We can spend the rest of our marriage pretending that we tolerate one another, or we can murder each other in our sleep. I don't care."

A warning growl emanated from within his chest, vibrating against her because of their close proximity, yet it wasn't as though she cared. She was making him seem unimportant, alerting him to the fact that her loyalties didn't lie with him but with her father—yet, wasn't it the same with him? He had no reason to be angry unless he was a hypocrite.

And just to add salt to the wound, just to ensure her winning position in their game of apathy, Rin said, "Remember that I married you for business—nothing more. My family comes before you _any_ time, _any_ da—"

Before she could finish the last word of her seething statement, she was roughly pulled into her husband's strong, relentless arms and away from the wooden chest she had sought protection from. For a long moment, her cinnamon eyes bore into honey, engaged in a battle of wills, until he growled once again and shot forward to aggressively claim her lips. Rin met him half way, fueled by an insatiable anger that would only abate by causing a reaction out of him, _any_ kind of reaction—and the only way to meet her goal was through..._pleasure_.

His hand fisted in her hair, pulling her head back and arching her neck to deepen their kiss as his tongue slid past her lips, welcomed by an equally humid appendage eager to dominate him. At some point, the couple had to break apart, and they only did when Rin pulled away from the obviously frustrated demon prior to panting heavily. She glanced up at him while he stared back, not at all affected like she was with flushed cheeks and a heaving chest.

Or not for long...because she only offered him a human version of his infamous irritated growls and grabbed the back of his head, pushing him onto her, attacking his lips the way he had hers. She didn't grant him a moment to absorb what just happened since her tongue was already exploring mysterious territory, raking over his sensitive fangs, testing their sharpness...

This time, a masculine moan met her ears, and she inwardly smirked—apparently, Sesshoumaru liked dominant women...

Too bad for him since Rin was still pissed off and planned on releasing her misery on his body...

"I'm not giving into you," she panted once she parted for air, and her hands happened to be guiding her husband's shirt off his perfect body. "I'll betray you however many times I want!" Her words were harshly whispered against his neck, where her lips and teeth left bright red marks. "Unlike any other woman you've had before me, you won't be able to _tame_ me to obey you."

Their gaze met once again and silence overcame them. They were still standing near the wooden chest across from their bed, out of breath yet still wishing to convey their silent messages to the other.

At last, Sesshoumaru's serious mask broke and the ghost of a smile—not a sadistic smile—showed. "Do with me as you wish, my sweet. It seems like I already failed to tame you, either way."

Rin relished in his smile, the first smile to not scare the wits out of her...the first smile that meant he was pleased, content, etc. And it was all because of her! She also smiled...yet, nothing but retribution crossed her mind. "Sometimes I wish I loathed you for being such an asshole, Stranger..."

"I won't allow you to 'loathe' me."

"Oh?" She slid her right hand down his bare chest, bringing her earlier fantasy to life, and only stopped when she reached the hem of his royal blue sleeping pants. One finger hooked on its edge and pulled it down just a little... It still amazed her that she was able to do all of this without blushing like the virgin she was. "And how are you going to accomplish that?"

"Like this." Sesshoumaru assaulted her lips again, even more aggressively than prior if possible, and Rin genuinely found herself dazed and shocked as she tried to grip onto him more tightly for fear of her legs turning into mush.

But the next thing she knew, she was thrown onto the bed with only enough time to catch a glimpse of her husband's long locks of silver hair surrounding her. She gasped when he resumed his earlier post on her lips, and she didn't hold back the moans that surely reached his ears, pleasing him to a greater extent than he already was...

His hands attempted to unbutton her shirt while he distracted her focus, but it was impossible to concentrate on the menial task when the damn vixen was raking her fingernails on his scalp! I-It felt...it felt so freakin' amazing...gods, no wonder dogs loved to be petted! The dog demon growled in immense frustration with the stupid orange blouse and pulled away from Rin, sitting straight on the bed while straddling her.

Although her cheeks were flushed and her pupils were dilated, he wasn't faring any better with crimson lining the whites of his eyes and growls rumbling his chest every so often. He was naturally a patient person, but sometimes that patience wore extremely thin and his inner demon desired release... At the moment, the blouse was the bane of his existence.

It _needed_ to be obliterated.

"Well?" Rin all but breathed, unable to adequately use her voice after her lips had been thoroughly bruised and swollen. "Aren't you going to continue what you started?"

Sheesh, was she really a virgin? "Your blouse..." Sesshoumaru eyed the orange apparel with distaste narrowing his eyes. It looked nice on the obsidian-haired woman, but it was hiding something even more beautiful underneath... "It's in the way."

She blinked, confused. "Then just take it off."

"I'll end up ripping it." He had already received a mouthful for ripping a hole in her prized chemise a few days ago...

Yet, it surprised him substantially when he suddenly found himself on the bottom with an impatient Rin now straddling his waist, and his mouth opened to comment on their abrupt switch in positions before she rudely interrupted by covering it with hers. After a moment, she sat back and smiled. Within seconds, her blouse was literally ripped open, probably dislodging several buttons, though Sesshoumaru was more pleased when her peach-colored bra followed suit.

Oh wow...his wife was frisky...but her pants were still on...

Although his honey eyes wished to feast on the bounty that would be his and only his, he wasn't allowed a moment to pause and allow recent events to sink into his brain; rather, Rin assaulted him once more, pressing her bare chest against his, mixing their body heat together as she pinned his hands to the _beyond_ comfortable bed.

She further restricted his movement when she held his face in place as her tongue slipped past his lips, once again exploring yet now with the intention of staking claim. Her teeth nibbled his bottom lip as she drew away and sensually trailed down his chin, his neck...

Sesshoumaru permitted his wife to do as she wished with him, just as he had professed a few minutes ago, but returning the pleasure she was giving him was a necessity! The vixen ultimately reached her goal of breaking his apathetic mask, especially when she left her mark on the conjunction of his collarbone and neck—hell, her teeth ground into his skin, ensuring that the mark lasted more than a few days...he couldn't help but bite his lip and suppress the urge to bite her back.

Now _that_ would be a permanent mark.

"You don't know how much pain I want to cause you right now...how much I want to make you feel like a human does," Rin mumbled against his chest as she continued her descent and slowly torture on the demon's body, knowing full well she was driving him insane with every breath she took. "But watching you throw your head back in ecstasy is enough for me." A smirk curved her crimson lips, and her cinnamon eyes darkened by ardor rose to meet his.

Meanwhile, a certain hand of hers found a certain area of his body that longed for release...

"Fuck..." Sesshoumaru nearly gasped, but stopped himself before he lost complete control—grr, fuck it! Her hand cupped the bulge between his legs, and he fisted the white sheets beneath him, gripping until his knuckles turned white. This kind of pleasure was painful yet welcomed...it tortured him yet left him wanting more... "Rin..."

She loved the way her name rolled of his lips in a husky, breathless sigh, and her hand squeezed the 'bounty' it grasped, eliciting both a growl and a groan from her husband. Still, however, his sleeping pants and boxers were impeding her from reaching the core of his desire.

"Well, I guess these have to come off..." It wasn't necessary to repeat her words; both pieces of apparel were off in an instant.

The young woman curiously eyed the swollen member once again gripped in her hand, and smirked when an idea popped into her head. Sesshoumaru looked ready to pop—she should be nice and help him attain some relief, right? Yet, before Rin could descend to place her mouth where it had never been before, a large hand fisted in her hair and pulled her head back with a gasp from her, but it was smothered by a silver-haired dog demon's hot, aggressive mouth.

In another second, she was back on bottom with absolutely no chance of switching positions again.

"My dick belongs _here_," Sesshoumaru hissed millimeters away from her lips, but his right hand drifted to the sweltering apex of her thighs, making her moan when his thumb caressed the aching opening—sadly, her jeans were in the way. "Well, I guess _these_ have to come off..."

The abominable obstruction was swiftly taken care of...oh, and what should he do with the peach panties absorbing the heat and dampness he wished to feel?

"Asshole!" Rin gasped when her husband used a single claw to rip off her favorite pair of panties since they were the only ones that had matched her peach bra. Gods, what an impatient brat! "I swear I'm going to rip off your hair and make myself another pair of pa—ahh!" Her allegation ended in a moan once his mouth settled on her neck and he nibbled a highly sensitive patch of skin at its crook.

Now it became hard to even think or maintain her previous fury as Sesshoumaru adeptly worked to return her former torture, commencing with her neck. He sucked on that specific area, reminding her of the hickey he had gifted her with after she won a car race against him, and she could only stop herself from going insane by busying her hands, allowing her nails to harshly rake against his scalp.

It apparently didn't hurt him because he merely growled—a deep, rumbling growl that denoted his pleasure—and continued his abuse until he was satisfied with the bruise matching his own marking her body.

Rin captured his lips before he descended, this time using her tongue to rub the bruised appendages, make them even more red then they already were. The longer this foreplay lasted, however, the greater the ache in the core of her body, and the more she swore she was going to go mad for instant release. She didn't know what else to do other than aggressively kiss him, mark him, pleasure him...

Lightly pulling on his hair, pulling his head back, substantially increased his own pleasure, his torment, but it wasn't enough!

Feeling his skin covered in a light sheen of sweat rubbing against her...was driving her over the edge...the heat between his legs pressed against her endless ache...was making her want him even more... Never had she felt this way...never had she desired a man like this... He being her enemy made it all the sweeter, all the more enjoyable—the passion she felt, passion of retribution, of making him feel what she felt, evolved into the passion of lovemaking, of pleasuring him at all costs, to any extent...

Yes, she was insane—yet all her senses, her nerves, were focused on him and what he did to her...

...and she freakin' loved it.

Her breaths were short—she could barely inhale air when her body was preoccupied with the silver-haired god assaulting her, leaving her lips to trail a tepid path down her neck and towards her bare chest... _Oh gods_, Rin inwardly screamed, since it was now her turn to grip the sheets beneath her, a grip strong enough to snap the already dented television remote control in half.

Sesshoumaru didn't spare her a moment to adapt to his tongue swirling over nipple, taking it into his mouth, testing it...caressing it in his humid mouth... _Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods!_

She couldn't shout anything else in her mind other than 'oh gods'! Hell, she was about to explode—how could she even think?! It was no surprise that her legs chose to wrap around her husband's waist, squeezing tightly once locked, pressing his body even closer to hers if possible, forcing their skin to rub more unbearable heat on each other...

So damn hot...it was so damn hot...the heat was smoldering...

Sesshoumaru lifted his head and momentarily shut his eyes, reveling in the sensation of his member being so close to a damp, humid, untouched area belonging to a beautiful, allegedly innocent woman... He wasn't allowed much of a reprieve because he was dragged down on top of her again, ended up kissing her again, torturing her again. His hand massaged a supple breast, using his thumb to tease its sensitive, hard nub, until he finally decided that enough was enough.

Too much pleasure and one would surely die...

Pressing his forehead against hers, Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and stared into Rin's, acknowledging the fact that she was amenable to him, claimed not to trust him any longer yet giving her most prized possession to him: her virginity. His eyes never left hers as he settled above her, but he waited for her to mentally prepare—although he was at the point where he could lose control, he wasn't about to ravish her like a dog in heat!

This was her first time...and hell, he'd be her last time, too.

Then again...any night with him was memorable.

"You didn't even allow me to explore you thoroughly, my sweet," the dog demon whispered, placing a gentle kiss upon the younger woman's lips to ease her worries. Geez, after everything they had done, she was nervous _now_... It was adorable in a way, however... "I won't hurt you." _At least not today_, he mentally added.

No one knew what the future would hold for them, if he could truly trust her or not.

Rin gazed into a meld of smooth honey, a sweet, warm paste that composed her husband's eyes at the moment. She knew he wouldn't physically hurt her—she couldn't say emotionally or mentally, though—so there truly wasn't anything to worry about. Besides, she couldn't just stop now, right when her body literally pulsed in tune with her heart beat in expectance of being complete only with his other half!

If he didn't hurry up, she would turn the tables and take _him_ instead!

"Just hurry up, will you?" She leaned in for another chaste kiss, assuring him that she was ready. "Put your dick where it belongs, Stranger." Her huskily whispered words made a smug smile appear on his face. He was glad she finally understood the purpose of the male anatomy.

"I should have known Sunshine was a crude vixen..." Sesshoumaru heeded her, nonetheless, and placed a searing hand on her hip to guide her to him. His nose nuzzled the side of her neck, nibbling on her neck; distracting her while the tip of his member grazed the swollen skin covering her wet opening. "You're mine."

And with one quick thrust, Rin at long last became his.

She gasped at the sudden stretch of her vaginal muscles, and her nails dug into the toned muscles of his back, dragging all the way down his shoulders along his spine as brief pain shot through her. It wasn't a decimating kind of pain like she had suffered through previous times in her life, however, so she tolerated it, didn't cower from it.

All the while, the silver-haired dog demon on top of her granted her a few seconds to adjust to the feel of him, to welcome him. But gods! Were all virgins so damn tight?!

He nearly came right then and there...

He shifted a bit once her muscles slackened, but she only stiffened again, still not used to this new sensation. The more she stiffened, the tighter she became and the more her muscles squeezed him inside of her. It was actually far from comfortable in his painful state of waiting for release...

"Relax," Sesshoumaru mumbled a hairsbreadth away from her ear, making her shiver when he licked the base of the delicate appendage. "Just relax..." The sound of his deep, smooth voice helped her follow his order, and with a sigh, she let tension seep out of her.

"I'm fine," Rin said before she settled into a position more comfortable for her as the momentary pain from earlier finally passed. She glided her hand over the side of his face where a lock of silver hair was plastered against his sweaty skin and pressed her moist lips on his own. "_Go_."

He trusted that she was no fully adjusted and shifted the slightest bit, watching for any grimaces on her flushed face. There was only slight discomfort on her expression, but it soon evolved into full blown ecstasy when he picked up the pace. Sesshoumaru relished in the fact that Rin learned quickly and moved her hips in time with his—there was nothing awkward or strange in their steady rhythm, which allowed both of them to enjoy the melding of their bodies to the greatest extent.

His hips ground into hers as a groan passed his lips, yet any other sounds escaping his parted mouth were lost in her damp obsidian hair. Hell, the nails once again digging into his back, probably leaving lasting scars on his pale skin, were making him growl as his heightened senses perceived pain to be pleasure, but it wasn't like his wife was aware of his 'pain'.

"Se—essh...ou...ru..." His name was a moan on her tongue, though he barely registered it. Her mouth soon found the conjunction of his neck when he found her g-spot from within, and once the head of his member rub the sensitive area, she harshly bit down, marking him once again.

Dammit...Rin was _licking_ the wound amidst her passion since she had to occupy her mind in some kind of manner in order to not be driven insane by unfathomable ecstasy... Sesshoumaru couldn't help thrusting even faster, the sounds of their skin meeting in a rapid pace drowned by their unified panting and harsh breathing. He yearned for release—it was impossible to wait any longer while engulfed in her sensuous heat...

It felt like an eternity passed with him inside of her sweet core, becoming one with her...

He buried his head in the moaning woman's shoulder when he felt himself peaking, reaching the point before he exploded in release, but she decided to impede him from achieving that limit by tightening her vaginal muscles around him, holding him in place.

"Goddammit," he harshly ground out behind gritted teeth, his eyes flashing crimson more than once. "What the fuck are you—?"

"You're not..." Rin paused in the middle of her sentence when a tremor shot through her, signaling her own peaking—the looming of her orgasm—before she continued her statement. "You're not coming without me, a-hole!" They slowed to an unbearable, frustrating pace, but one that ensured both gained release around the same time.

But she couldn't prolong Sesshoumaru's orgasm for much longer as he finally released inside of her, masking his passionate cry by planting another bruising kiss on her lips, yet Rin soon followed suit, squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her hands that had been laying flat on his back in the sudden peak of pleasure that seemed to threaten her consciousness and self-awareness. She couldn't open her eyes or even registering her breathing until at least a minute later, and even then she only saw a flash of white in her line of vision before it cleared and her husband's flushed face came into sight.

She weakly smiled as he moved to lie beside her, pulling her back close against his chest as his arms wrapped over her torso somewhat possessively, and they remained that way for a good few minutes, just recovering from their recent...experience.

"_Wow_..." It was the only word Rin could use to describe the joys of sexual intercourse. She couldn't imagine how she had survived prior to this night without sex... But then again, she supposed she only truly enjoyed her first time because of Sesshoumaru...

Turning around in his strong hold, she faced her husband and was about to thank him for not hurting her, but the...'mark' she gave him caught her eye. "That looks painful..."

The bright red bite mark sitting on top of a crimson bordering on purple bruise on his neck was absolutely revolting... Yet, the dog demon shrugged. "I didn't even notice it."

Rin snorted. _Liar, you went crazy when I bit you._ "Sooo...tell me, what exactly _was_ that?" Was sex really something so powerful that threatened all of her self-control, lowered her inhibitions, and basically drugged her like the most potent illicit drug available?

If drugs were as good as sex, well, she needed to find the closest drug dealer...

Sesshoumaru quirked a brow at her inquiry laced with wonder and awe, as though she was referring to fireworks over the Eifel Tower rather than making love. He smirked, however, because he loved the way her cinnamon eyes glazed over, recalling their recent experience. Yet, he only pulled her closer and placed a chaste kiss on her...shit, _bruised_ lips was an understatement...

"That, my sweet, is called make-up sex."

"We should fight more often, then." Rin grinned, having formerly shown concern for the numerous bruises she left on her husband's chiseled body—especially on his poor back—but now was solely proud of her accomplishments. She definitely paid Sesshoumaru back for locking her in a closet...or so he thought... "Anyway, what happens next?"

It was currently a quarter to nine and therefore too early to fall asleep.

_Let's cuddle in bed!_ The thought brightened her expression and caused her to giggle, though her giddiness died when her husband changed positions from beside her to on _top_ of her.

Rin glanced up at him and furrowed her eyebrows at his rather..._mischievous_ expression and smug smirk. _Damn his canine ego..._ "What are you doing?"

Sheesh, did she think the night ended already or what? "Hasn't anyone told you that dog demons are known for their insane sex drives _all_ night long?"

"Umm..." _Stupid Kohaku! I hate you for being right!_ Her best friend had tried to warn her—or at least make her blush, whatever—but she hadn't heeded him... Now amused golden honey eyes filled with lust as they gazed over her flushed face... "Can we eat dinner first?"

Unfortunately for Rin, Sesshoumaru ignored her request.

* * *

**A/N: END! :-D WOOT! SEXY LEMONS WALKING DOWN THE STREET! HELLS YEAH! Um...what else should I say? Dunno. :-D**

**Next chapter: Let's see...Inu gets a bit sadistic again and this time Izayoi is around to see! And Sessh decides it's time he spends time with Rin outside of bed...**

**Sooo...what is Izayoi going to do with a sadistic and homicidal Inuyasha? Who's gonna get hurt? Where's Kagome in all of this? Is Sessh gonna give Rin a massage now? Did Rin kill Adeline or not? If not, then who did? Why is my sock tan really, really bad? Why is Sessh so mean to his wife? Is Rin pregnant now?**

**Nah, she's protected by birth control. Then again, birth control isn't 100 percent. ABSTINENCE IS!!! Pssft, as if people other than die-hard nuns die virgins... **

**SO REVIEW! Because who knows if my unwritten lemons will come haunt you... **


	12. Innocent Devil

**A/N: Extremely late, I know. Any Excuses? No, I was just busy. I can't reply to your wonderful reviews because I'm on a tight leash right now. Oh, and the PA Junior Miss paegent thing is over! :-D I didn't win, but my mom won a raffle! **

**I hope my grammar is better this chapter and I'm sorry about last chapter's mistakes! I should stop hurrying through editing, right? Hehe!**

Note:** While the scene with Inu and his mom is taking place, Kagome isn't actually out shopping, she's spying on InuTaishou's meeting with Hideakio and Naraku. So the timing is off from Sessh and Rin's honeymoon. **

**ENJOY THE CHAPPIE! **

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**Assassin's Daughter 12**

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Back and forth....back and forth...

The mantra comforted him...calmed him, even. It occupied his mind if only for a while as his body did all but remain in a stationary position. Heh, he couldn't afford to stand still when he was in one of his moods! Pacing merely offered him an ephemeral type of relief, however—it wasn't good enough, yet nothing was, dammit!

Gods, was this what he was reduced to? A pacing lunatic who couldn't even control his inners desires?

Sickening...the truth sickened him... But what sickened him even more was the fact that his current fragile state of mind wasn't innate. Rather, it had been molded by his own _father_. Heh, it was the effect of being a professional assassin.

His life sadly revolved around his father—everything he did was for him! To please him, to respect him, to...

Inuyasha bit his bottom lip and fisted his hands into his hair, enjoying the way his claws harshly scraped against his scalp. _What the fuck is wrong with me?! _It took every ounce of his willpower to keep his hands from shaking; it was as though he was suffering from withdrawal! But he was _not_ addicted to drugs and like fucking hell he was addicted to...

..._could_ he be addicted to...to...murder?

Hell, such a thing wasn't possible! No one in the world ever contacted a psychiatrist complaining of a killing addiction! Yet, it was true...terrifyingly, disgustingly true. Ever since his last mission in which he eradicated Yamimoto Musou, the desire to tear open soft, vulnerable flesh was _unbearable_...but why?

Why did he feel the urge to kill if he hated killing?

He could barely look at anyone the same way again—human or demon! Glancing at his precious wife awakened the urge to slide a gleaming blade down her skin; speaking to his father gave him the idea of popping his golden eyes out and watching his empty eye sockets gush tears of blood...

A whimper caught in his throat at the unwanted yet satisfying bloody images flashing in front of his eyes, and in a futile attempt to keep his mind off his secret career, Inuyasha began to count backwards from a hundred. It _usually_ worked... Grr! Fuck, it wasn't working!

Why the fuck wasn't it working?!

But this always happened...the unwanted images; the insatiable desires...they always occurred right after a mission. The hanyou didn't know why—truthfully, he couldn't recall any gruesome scenes from his close-up missions! Musou was just dead in his mind's eye; caught in the explosion of a bomb Shippou had prepped beforehand and was now deemed missing in police files. It happened to all of his victims so nothing was out of the ordinary!

Yet there _had_ to be a reason why he wanted to kill so badly! And he had a feeling his family knew and kept it a secret from him. The thought baffled him, irked him, angered him... Instantly the idea of ripping flesh and splashing the gold walls with blood red was appealing, and...grr!

What in the hell was wrong with—?

_Knock! Knock!_ "Inuyasha? Are you in there?"

_Shit...Mother... _The silver-haired assassin abruptly halted his furious pacing and took a deep breath. He wasn't in the right mental state to even glance at his beautiful mother—the last thing he wished for was actually relenting to the powerful urge to... He banished the thought before more images seeped into his tormented brain.

"Inuyasha? Dearest?"

The knob to the door twisted, and for a split second, Inuyasha panicked and turned his back on the door. Perhaps if he didn't face her, his little psychotic episode would dissipate? It was his only hope.

Izayoi entered the master suite in her son's manor and laid her befuddled violet eyes on his tense form standing all the way across the room from her. The suite was exceptionally large with a king-sized, four-poster bed positioned in the center surrounded by lustrous cherry-wooden furnishings that greatly complemented the shades of burgundy and crimson littering the room. Plush, light gold carpet covered the entire floor, unimaginably soft beneath one's feet, and it matched the gold of the walls, as well.

All in all, Kagome outdid herself decorating...

In her hands, the dark-haired woman was holding a silver tray carrying a steaming hot cup of tea for her obviously perturbed son. Her eyes softened at the sight of him, his back clad in a blood red polo that probably reminded him of the color of... "Dearest?"

Inuyasha took a shaky breath but never dared to incline his head towards her. "What is it, Mom?" The spicy aroma of cinnamon apple tea quickly wafted into his nose, but the most poignant smell was the soothing scent of lavender coming from his mother...

_Not_ good. It was lulling him, decreasing his ability to fight his delusions and insane urges; therefore, the sooner she left the better.

"I brought you some tea, dear." Izayoi treaded closer to her son although she knew her intrusion wasn't welcomed by the tensing of his already stiff shoulders. Yet, she acknowledged why he tried to shun her...which was why she was trying to help him. "Come. Drink it."

"I don't want it," Inuyasha replied firmly without any intention to change his mind. He crossed his arms and scoffed; obviously, he was feigning his normal, grumpy persona. Heh, right now, he just wanted to bathe his hands in blood—_anyone's_ blood. "Geez, why the hell are you here anyway? Don't you have a _mate_ to attend to?"

Uh-huh...she was allowed to have a mate but he wasn't...what a _lovely_ example to set for her son. Hell, it was a constant reminder of the life he longed for...a reminder that tortured him daily. Now was not the time to think about it and increase his blood lust, however.

Too late.

"InuTaishou is having a meeting with Hideakio, so I figured I'd come and attend to you instead. I mean, today is Kagome's shopping day, isn't?" Men left home alone wasn't a wise idea on their wives' part...

Kagome shopped too much, but in a way, Inuyasha was relieved she was in the city and far enough away from home that she wouldn't see his deadly lapse of sanity. He had yet to come up with a reason as to why he was sometimes bombarded by intense homicidal impulses that were nearly _insatiable_. Hell, it was necessary to put an end to his strange urges before he actually acted on them and seriously hurt someone like his beloved wife!

"Keh!" The silver-haired assassin wasn't about to worry his mother with his own psychological problems, though, so he kept quiet about them and hoped she didn't notice. Yet...it was weird enough that she visited him in his own home in order to make him tea—something so trivial Jaken could make it blindfolded. "I could have made myself tea if I wanted some, Mom! I'm not an invalid!"

"But you're my baby boy..." Izayoi smiled at the conspicuous twitch of the hanyou's ears, which only meant he was uncomfortable with her statement and was outright blushing.

She shook her head at an adorable memory of her only son when he was seven begging for some chocolate at a supermarket even though it was toxic for him. The pout on his face had been so cute! Still...she wasn't supposed to be reminiscing...she had to put an end to 'it' before it became too late.

But the clenching of Inuyasha's hands alerted her that she was losing valuable time...

"Please, dearest, drink the tea—if only for me. I'll even make you some ramen to accompany it later..." Izayoi hoped bribing the hanyou with his favorite food would work, but he still hadn't turned around. She sighed and stepped even closer to him, but this time deep yet vehement warning growls reached her ears.

The violet-eyed woman stopped in mid-step and gazed at her son's back in confusion. He had never growled at her during one of his episodes...he was _definitely_ not alright... The trained warrior in her recognized danger in an instant. Unfortunately, she had arrived too late and her son's sanity was quickly fading...

Izayoi ignored the warning growls and walked up to her son until she was about two feet away from him. His shoulders were tense and his fists were shaking; he was attempting to control himself, she noted, but was miserably failing. Heck, his knuckles were white and the veins on his forearms were protruding—he was sadly attempting to control himself.

After a while...Inuyasha sighed and all his tension suddenly vanished. It surprised her immensely, enough that she took a step back in apprehension. _What has happened? _She didn't know and it was dangerous to be oblivious in this kind of situation.

For all she knew, he could pull out a gun and kill her in an instant—Inuyasha the Reaper was capable of such an atrocious deed and he would _enjoy_ it.

"Inuyasha...I'm not joking. _Drink_ the tea." Thick silence ensued after her demand, and Izayoi halted her breath altogether to listen to any signs of her son bending to her will. But the hanyou's head instead slowly tilted towards her until his chin was over his shoulder, and one of his vibrant golden amber eyes regarded her with mere amusement.

_Sadistic_ amusement.

And that ultimately meant... _Oh no! I _was_ too late!_ Izayoi's eyes widened in conspicuous fear—this was what her husband and mate was terrified of...this side of their son was absolutely ruthless! She couldn't triumph against a cold-blooded torturer! _InuTaishou knew that Inuyasha's recent mission was too much for him, but I refused to listen to him! _The hanyou assassin had over-killed his target!

Musou's body had been...had been...

Gods, was there a word to accurately describe the torture that man had suffered?

No, there wasn't.

Izayoi was at loss for what to do in her latest predicament, but she attempted to remain calm and analyze the situation from all possible angles. Inuyasha was gazing at her the way a confident predator stared at its prey before striking, but his body was still facing away from her. His arrogant, somewhat lazy smirk revealed his intention of allowing her a moment to flee or retaliate without him delivering a fatal blow, so maybe if she moved quick enough, she could turn the tables in her favor when he least suspected it...

No...it wouldn't work. He would only toy with her...take perverse pleasure in the way she tried to outsmart him... The resulting price to pay would be her life.

"I thought I told you, my dear Mother, that I don't want the damn tea." Inuyasha's voice was tenuous in a way that seduced the mind and coiled around internal defenses tightly enough to demolish them. Izayoi cleared her thoughts and made sure not to focus on the Reaper's method of ensnaring his victims. "But your blood will suffice."

_Blood-crazed...that's what he is. He craves for the smell of blood staining his claws, the sensation of it sliding through his fingers—a drug...blood is his own personal drug._ Izayoi's grip on the silver tray in her hands tightened considerably. It was impossible now to force him to drink the tea unless she wanted her head displayed on the platter instead. _This is why 'normal' parents usually refrain from raising their children as professional assassins._

"My son," Izayoi began slowly, shifting her violet eyes to her right in search of a momentary distraction to think of a plan, "I only wish to help you. Please, just let me _help_ you."

"Why should I?" His voice held a lazy note just as his damnable smirk did. It was as though he was bored with a stationary life and desired some sort of thrill no matter how short-lived it was. Heh, the notion itself was perilous to even ponder, especially when it involved a murderous hanyou. "I neither want nor need your help—simple as that."

Hell, Inuyasha desired to _paint_ the gold walls a color that matched the crimson sheets on his bed, and he would go through any lengths to do so...

"What do you mean?" Elongating their 'small talk' for as long as she could bid her more time to concentrate and save her life. "Why don't you want me to help you?"

"Because, Mother, _this_ is all your fault."

_W-What?! When did he move...?_ Izayoi gasped when the homicidal hanyou suddenly appeared behind her instead of in front of her, but forced herself not to move a single muscle as he leant forward to inhale her aromatic scent. She was confused—why hadn't he killed her yet? _No, he's also biding his time...he also wants to elongate my torture... _

It was only now that she understood his intentions: retribution. He was going to make her feel all the pain he felt his entire life because of what she and his father had transformed him into. The monster his parents created would run rampant and in the end kill them if they weren't careful.

"How does it feel to be cornered?" Inuyasha's soft whisper raised the hairs on the female assassin's neck, and she closed her eyes, willing her heart to stop racing and fueling her son's amusement. No doubt he sought pleasure from her fear of him... "Heh. Pitiful—you're afraid of your own son. And here I thought you 'loved' me."

"I _do_ love you!" Izayoi answered without a moment's hesitation since she was speaking the sole truth. "I always loved you and I never—"

**CLANG! **

She couldn't help flinching when the hanyou slapped the tray she held away from her and allowed it to crash against a nearby wall. His expression wasn't visible to her eyes, but by the sound of his low, deep chuckling, so cold yet alluring in an unfathomable way just like the natural temptation of evil, the dark-haired woman knew he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

_He's too close for me to attack; he's within distance of targeting my vitals._ The sharp points of his claws were tracing the length of her right arm...delighting in the goose bumps it encountered...wondering what else would increase her apprehension...

"There's never a moment when I don't wonder how it might feel to kill you or Father." Still biding his time...still waiting for her to make the mistake of fighting back, protecting her own life... "I mean, it can't be any different from my other kills, right? Blood is blood no matter how you look at it. Isn't that what you told me the night of my first kill?"

It wasn't a memory she liked to recall, so Izayoi kept silent. Likewise, Inuyasha didn't bring up the subject of the moment in his life that truly, _truly_ scarred him again. Perhaps it was what transformed him into nothing less than a monster in the first place.

"Inuyasha..." Her voice commenced in a warning desiring to be heeded but was ignored. "Do not underestimate me, your superior. I have thirty-five years of experience in assassination while you only have eight. I'm currently prepared and my fear will not impede me from accomplishing my _task_."

"A task, huh?" He leaned forward even more so that a thick lock of silvery white hair spewed over her shoulder, and his lips were a hairsbreadth away from pressing against her cheek in a kiss that would seal her fate. "My entire existence has been a task that Father allowed you to bear. And don't lie to me, Mother—you love every single second of it."

The sable-haired woman wasn't going to deny it; he told the sole truth. The only reason he existed was because she desired to become a mother, yet couldn't raise a normal child like she would have preferred. Oh no, it hadn't been due to InuTaishou's overbearing decisions and plans. Heck, he wasn't the evil mastermind or the puppet master who transformed their two 'normal' sons into cruel, sadistic killers.

_She_ was. _She_ was the 'innocent' devil.

"I thought so," the hanyou whispered in that husky voice of his, the one foretelling his intentions of torture, preferably the physical, bloody kind. A smile broke over his handsome features once more. "Well, shall we begin? I really hope you don't start screaming 'cause I _hate_ screamers... It won't be any fun if you just kick and scream, now will it?"

Izayoi's voice and expression were deadpan as she replied, "No...no it won't." And she prayed to any gods listening to her that Inuyasha ignored the hand slowly reaching into her pocket to pull out a clear liquid-filled syringe...

**

* * *

**

She was like an innocent devil.

As she slept, her expression was peaceful and...chaste in an endearing way. It was the type of innocence that captivated people despite their inner demons, himself included. Her skin was soft and creamy, darker than his pallid tone yet complimentary to her warm cinnamon eyes. But as she slept, her eyelids hid the vibrant cinnamon irises.

Heh, it was the only reason why he dared to watch her.

Continuing with his analysis, he concluded that her lips were supple and plump—women nowadays would pay thousands for plastic surgery on their lips. She was gifted with a kissable mouth that would have any man's lips already moist in anticipation...

And then her dark wavy hair framed her slightly rosy cheeks, tousled about her in a wild, unkempt fashion, not that she cared much about the state of her hair while dreaming. He allowed himself to smile. Truthfully, no matter how many times he, a demon, ravished her pure body, she would remain innocent. Everyday he could wake up beside her and lay eyes on what seemed like a beautiful virgin.

Yet, deep down inside, she was a devil.

There was no way possible he could trust her—not now, not ever. He might sleep beside her, he might live with her, but how could he trust her? No. Despite his attraction to the innocent woman from their first meeting, the assassin in him could never begin to reveal his secrets to her, to allow himself to feel truly comfortable in her presence.

Why would he? She was a devil.

In the end, albeit her pleas of innocence, he decreed them false. Although he wasn't one-hundred percent sure of her being an assassin, specifically the Assassin's Daughter, his suspicions were already aroused and would not recede. Anyone would think, however, that he'd resume his quest to find the truth and force it out of her, but...

...he liked their game of evading each other.

He enjoyed the fact that she thought she fooled him. Hell, as long as it kept her wary of him and from completely trusting him like a normal human foolishly would, he welcomed her new alleged secret.

Of course, this was only due to the fact that he preferred not to think about the aftermath of discovering that she indeed was whom he thought she was... What would he do if he found out he married an assassin, one he longed to kill for the hell of it? What would he do if he found out his father knowingly allowed this?

What would he do...if he finally figured out his family's master plan with the Osaka's...?

No. He'd rather not think about it. He'd rather not uncover secrets he _knew_ he would be able to decipher one way or another. For once, he longed to live in ignorance. For once, he longed to believe that the innocent woman lying beside him with the warmth of her smooth, soft skin engulfing his own was actually innocent.

At the moment, he could pretend it was the case. He just needed to be careful.

Yes, that was it. Reveal too much...care too much...and he might fall into her trap.

_If_ she had planted one.

"Are you gonna stare at me all day?"

Sesshoumaru wasn't surprised when a haggard voice broke the calm silence in the large room and he sighed, trailing a clawed finger down his wife's exposed shoulder. He regarded her amused cinnamon eyes with a smirk. "You know I won't just stare."

Of course...that was why they were currently on a bed.

"Give me a break!" Rin huffed childishly, flipping onto her left side and facing away from the smug dog demon who enjoyed making her shiver in delight with the mere tip of his claw. "I have to recuperate, ya know? Not only did you refuse to allow me the pleasure of sleep, but you also neglected to feed me dinner!"

"If you truly wanted dinner, you should've been more assertive about it." He propped his head with his right hand as he used the pad of his index finger to explore the flawless, creamy bare back that was in his line sight. "Frankly, my sweet, all you did was moan and devour my flesh instead."

"I'm guessing you haven't healed yet..." And that only meant her love bite hadn't healed, either... Well, it wasn't like she expected it to magically disappear, anyway. Nope. "Be glad that I always have a bottle of cover-up just in case. Oh! I took the liberty of buying one that matches your skin color, too!"

Knowing that her husband was presently quirking a brow in confusion without even looking at him, Rin sighed and elaborated. "When you lose control that usually means _I_ lose control, which equals a couple of bruises here and there..."

"A couple?" Sesshoumaru scoffed, not daring to look over his shoulder at the 'evidence' of his unmentionable activities the night prior. "Hmph, you're lucky I was your first—no human would be capable of seeking you again with the..._injuries_ you inflict."

"Whatever!" The obsidian-haired woman shifted so that she was facing her husband again and glared at him indignantly. Yet a mischievous twinkle infiltrated her heated gaze, brightening her cinnamon irises enough to narrow Sesshoumaru's eyes. "Heh...I bet Kohaku is _more_ than capable of—"

She really hadn't meant to tease him so much since she knew how he felt about her relationship with Kohaku, but she didn't regret the outcome either. Truthfully, she wasn't shocked to find herself under his large, well-built frame or to have her treacherous mouth completely sealed. Her hands wandered to slide down his smooth back, but her soft hands met rough scabs...

Rin pushed the dog demon off of her and pressed him against the bed so that he was lying on his stomach; she managed it despite the roll of his honey eyes and resumed her speculation. _Wow, he wasn't joking. If he _was_ human, he'd really be incapacitated._ The scratches on his back looked beyond vicious...as though a vengeful cat took out her frustration on the poor demon's unsuspecting back...

They reached from his shoulder blades to at least the nape of his back, all bright red and raw, only just starting to heal with scabs. Wow, her nails were actually capable of penetrating a demon's skin! Well, amidst passionate lovemaking, of course...the intensity of her feelings last night kind of left their mark on Sesshoumaru's back...

She supposed he wasn't healing extremely fast because he was still sick...or at least she hoped so. Hell, they were married for less than a week! There was no way she already damaged her husband beyond repair!

"Stop fretting." A smooth, albeit slightly annoyed voice from beneath her disrupted her thoughts, and she blinked multiple times, ceasing her thorough evaluation. _I should cut my nails._ Yeah, most likely before Sesshoumaru pinned her to a bed again. "It'll heal in another hour or so."

"I know it will," Rin sighed, letting her upper body fall back onto the bed with a soft thud. Her husband didn't move from his spot as she leaned over to brush a lock of glistening silver hair away from his deep honey eyes. "I'd apologize but you deserve it." Her tender act was received with cryptic suspicion and tension.

If she wasn't an assassin, she'd have never noticed that he was currently on guard. And all of this because he thinks I murdered his target before he did. Seriously, how could an assassin randomly assume that his wife killed his victim?

Sesshoumaru shrugged. True, he _did_ deserve it to some degree, but he wasn't about to admit it in plain sight. Besides, it was a fact that the young woman had been through worse so she shouldn't complain. "Nice to know I have sympathy from you, Sunshine."

She grinned radiantly. "I thought you knew I'm a tyrant, Stranger! Well, anyway, I think we should get out of bed before our legs cramp and they have to be amputated."

"You really think so?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Hn."

"Are you going to get up?"

"_That_ is an interesting idea."

"Geez, come on!"

"Can't you acknowledge my attempt to rest?"

"I'll acknowledge it when you get your sexy naked ass into the shower."

"Will you accompany my 'sexy naked ass'?"

"...no."

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes in disappointment and pushed himself off the Tempur-Pedic bed, taking a moment to stretch his muscles—or more like show off to Rin. The young woman barely refrained from throwing a pillow at the lazy dog demon; she never would have imagined from the first time she laid eyes on him that he was a lazy lug of a husband!

It was the effect of marriage, she supposed.

Once the silver-haired dog demon sauntered to their en suite bathroom in his nude glory—that bastard had the most perfect sculpted ass, goddammit—Rin waited a moment until she heard the familiar running of water. It didn't take long for the sound of rushing water to meet her ears, and as soon as she did, she nearly jumped out of bed and _would have_ headed towards a pile of clothes neatly folded in the wooden chest near the bed, but...

_Thud!_

"Ow...!" Unfortunately, Rin fell flat on her face since apparently her legs refused to work. Oh, and she didn't forget about the discernable ache between her thighs...she was suffering from overuse. She groaned and slowly stood up, ignoring her soreness. _This is what I get for over-doing it on my first night._

So, she took a step forward towards her destination and... _Thud!_ It was no wonder that the young woman fell flat on her face again.

Dang it, she needed some more durability with a sex god for a husband...

After she gathered her bearings and was actually on her two feet, Rin sighed and took a tentative step towards the wooden chest...and she made it! "Yes!" She cheered, and slowly walked to the wooden chest, opening the second out of three drawers to reveal some of her husband's clothing, specifically his pants.

"Heh, he thought I wouldn't notice..." The obsidian-haired woman mumbled, not even bothering to throw on a robe before she carefully sifted through her husband's garments without making a sound. Her eyes narrowed with the intent to locate a certain clue to Sesshoumaru's odd behavior of the night prior. "Well, an assassin _does_ have to have a keen eye."

Rin grinned as she found the black slacks Sesshoumaru had worn yesterday—how did she know? _He hadn't spent the whole day here, that's for sure. So all I needed to find were the clothes that are just a bit wrinkled from the night before. _Gods know his clothes were impeccable. And there was no way he was just on a honeymoon; no, his father had sent him on a mission.

Therefore, he must have worn all black. It contrasted with his hair, but whatever.

Then there was the fact that there had to had been some piece of rough evidence that could have denoted her as Adeline's murderer. Perhaps her name was scribbled on a piece of paper, or maybe an article of her mission outfits was left behind. Of course, she wasn't admitting to committing the crime, but something must have raised her husband's suspicions instead of just his alleged target being killed before he had the chance to even glance at her.

So the dark-haired assassin searched through the pockets of the almost pristine slacks and smiled in victory when she came across a small piece of white paper... She pulled it out and read its simple contents. Her eyes narrowed once again, though this time in suspicion and slight horror.

"Anything you can do...I can do better." The words rolled off Rin's tongue naturally, as though they were originally her own creation. And that was the problem—they _were_ the same words she had previously uttered to Sesshoumaru at her wedding reception...words he knew held an underlying message from _her_...

...as well as the Assassin's Daughter.

Even worse—the initials A.D. were scribbled on the bottom.

"Shit!" Rin couldn't do anything better than swear in anger, shoving the piece of paper into the pant pocket the way she had found it. She barely stopped herself from slamming the chest drawer shut and turned to let out her frustration on a pillow. "Shit shit SHIT!!!"

_Someone's framing me!_ It was unbelievable! No wonder Sesshoumaru had been in assassin-mode last night—he wasn't a freakin' dense monkey wasting his time licking his balls! It wouldn't take even a second for him to condemn his wife to be the assassin he obviously searched for—but someone was framing her!

And now he was a step closer to finding out her secret identity...

Dammit!_ Oh my fucking gods, this is the worst thing that could happen!_ Rin hugged her pillow, burying her face into it, attempting to clear her mind and think of a solution to her current predicament. There was none, however. Sesshoumaru's suspicions were piqued and knowing him, he would always be on his guard around her.

He'd _never_ begin to trust her now.

It was unsettling...because he was such an unpredictable assassin...

Okay, so someone was framing her...someone who was apparently at her wedding reception...someone who was near her when she was dancing with Sesshoumaru and just _so_ happened to overhear her whispering, 'Anything you can do, I can do better'...someone who was also close enough to Sesshoumaru to know about his missions...

But who was it? Rin tried to recall a picture of that moment when she taunted her husband's arrogance and their damn silent game, yet all she could remember was his lazy, smug smirk and his vibrant, narrowed honey eyes.

No one in the background was clear enough to be depicted.

"What am I going to do...?" Rin bit her lip. She knew the answer already: she'd have to call her father and enlightened him of the situation. "I can't let whoever is framing me run rampant; he or she is doing a horrible job of cleaning up the assassinations." She smiled bitterly. _At this rate I'll get caught either by the police or by my own husband._

Heh...which was worse?

_Well this is pretty interesting...I never thought someone would have the guts to pretend to be me. _Rin lifted herself off the bed, still staring down at her pillow. But now her face was graced with a bright, delighted smile. It seemed like she wasn't in the worst situation ever imaginable; her expression was light and carefree. _Hm. I guess this person doesn't know that in the end, the cat always catches the elusive mouse._

And there was no doubt in her mind that she wouldn't catch her prey.

With her worries eased, she decided it wouldn't hurt to accompany her husband's sexy naked ass in the shower...

* * *

**A/N: END! :-D Okay, me go now because me busy! Me promise to respond to all of your reviews tomorrow! Any questions, message me! :-D **

**Next chapter: I'm skipping Sessh and Rin's outing, but they're finally going back to Japan! What surprises will meet them there? **

**Sooo...what is Izayoi going to do to Inuyasha? Why isn't Kagome shopping? Will Inu hurt or kill his own mother? And is Sessh really going to ignore the fact that his wife might be an assassin? Will Rin end up murdering Sessh one day? Why are Rin's nails so deadly? What's gonna happen when the honeymoon's over and normalcy kicks in? Is normalcy even a word? **

**Dunno. :-D BYEZ! REVIEW! CUZ I CAN'T THINK ABOUT COLLEGE WITHOUT YOU!**


	13. Silent Fury

**A/N: N-No...please! PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME!!! I'M SORRY! Please, not the... NO! NOT THE MOLESTING CARROT! IT'S A CARROT THAT MOLESTS PEOPLE FOR GOODNESS SAKE! **

**Oh well! I'll take it like a woman! I'm sorry that this chappie is late, but like before, stupid ass senior year is more stressful than it should be. :-D **

**Thank you guys for your reviews **_**sooo**_** much! I really appreciate it after this long absence! :-D It shows that people still care--keep it going! **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS!** (I never responded to chapter 11 reviews, right? Yeah...)**

**Review Responses: **

seyna:** Wow, you read it four times?! COOL! I feel loved! :-D Thanks for waiting for me! Believe it or not, you kept me on my toes by reviewing twice like that... I'm glad you liked last chapter--I didn't like it so much. But I do like this one! Hope you like it too!  
**

raptor-akida:** WOOT! I'M STILL ALIVE...AGAIN! :-D But I should get sued for not updating quickly. All I do is sleep after tennis practice... But hang in there! Don't abandon me yet cuz I'm still updating!  
**

stella:** Hehe, I couldn't keep Sessh waiting, ya know? Everyone other dog is getting some except for him... Poor Sesshy-kun... Anyway, thanks for reviewing each chapter! I appreciate it! I hope you're still out there somewhere... GAH! Don't lose interest now, the good part's coming! Actually, I don't know about that...yet. :-)**

**WOOT!!! **

NOTE!!!** If anyone doesn't understand the situation with Inu, Kags, and Izayoi, I kinda explained it at the end. If you still don't understand, don't be afraid to ask! It doesn't mean you're slow or anything--it's just that I know what's going on and sometimes I forget that you guys don't so my details are a bit vague! :-D**

**ENJOY THE CHAPPIE!**

* * *

**Assassin's Daughter 13**

* * *

At long last...it was over...dammit he was strong...

Izayoi panted as her body finally lost its tension and crumpled to the floor like a lifeless rag doll. Her limbs were sprawled around her but she hardly minded as her unfocused violet eyes stared at the unmoving figure lying in a similar fashion a few feet away from her.

A smile played on her lips. God dammit, that boy was a cunning, _strong_ bastard...

Just like his mother.

He rendered her without any speck of energy left; nearly squeezed her precious blood from her veins. She probably looked like an unrecognizable bloody mess because of him. Heh, there was no doubt that she had trained her son well, and that was what made him such a formidable opponent. Even Sesshoumaru would meet his match in his little hanyou brother.

Yet, in the end, the beast was subdued and would return to its normal, harmless self. He would never remember what recently occurred, he would not remember the blood he shed, and he would not remember the thrill of finally besting his mentor and creator. No, she wouldn't _let_ him remember.

Still, however, the suppressed urge to kill would linger at the back of his mind, sporadically attacking his senses, his self-control... One day, suppressing the maniacal assassin within Inuyasha would become utterly useless. One day, he would just snap without any warning.

Death or salvation would ensue.

Until then...it was her duty to quell her son...the abomination she cultivated.

"I-Izayoi...?"

The tentative female voice reached her ears but she didn't have the will to answer. Footsteps accompanied the voice, and then the dark-haired woman sprawled on the carpeted floor perceived the sight of light green sandals before her eyes. Ere long, a kneeled figure appeared beside her. Of course, she wasn't alarmed with the identity of the figure.

Kagome.

"It's done," Izayoi sighed, and the chocolate-eyed woman listening to her every word glanced to her right, where the form of her husband lied. "This week was the hardest, b-by the looks of it." It was true. She did this every week. She suppressed the blood-thirsty assassin in her son every _single_ week.

It only grew worse when he was off in a mission by himself...when a special clear liquid wasn't running its course through his veins...

That was why Miroku and Shippou usually assisted Inuyasha during missions—what Izayoi wasn't there to accomplish, they did. The same went for Kagome.

At the moment, however, the spy regretted every moment of it. "You hurt him." Blood soaked the carpet, both coming from her mother-in-law and husband. She detested the smell of it; she was fleetingly glad she didn't have a canine's sensitive nose. "You _promised_ not to hurt him."

The slight edge in her voice wasn't missed by a certain former assassin. As a spy, Kagome was a superb actress and possibly the Queen of Deceit, yet there was no trace of an act in that damn edge in her voice.

It only meant the young woman wasn't keeping to her code of honor: falling in love with her target.

Izayoi chuckled bitterly and attempted to sit up, yet a broken rib or two protested harshly. She bit her lip, refusing to cry out in pain in front of another person since she was first and foremost an assassin, a femme fatale after all. A murderer never expressed such weaknesses.

"Dear, he hurt me first." Blood dribbled down her chin after she cleared her throat, and she hastily wiped it away. "I couldn't hope to get close to him without weakening him a little. Surely you're aware of his antics."

"Yeah, but..." Kagome's concerned chocolate eyes drifted to the silver-haired, unconscious hanyou speckled in blood from head to toe. He was seriously injured; Izayoi never went easy on her opponents if they threatened her life. "Don't you think...don't you think it's hurting him more if you do this?"

At this point, Izayoi was hoisting herself up on two shaky legs without any help from her daughter-in-law and exhaled a painful sigh. She was truly thankful she hadn't been killed by sharp claws alone. Wouldn't that be embarrassing? And InuTaishou would be furious... _Now I have to bandage my wounds and mourn over my tattered clothes. _

Troublesome, troublesome.

Kagome noted that the Maebashi matriarch was ignoring her, and truthfully, anger bubbled within her. She _hated_ the Maebashi family! Granted, she was no better than them; she was a spy after all and tended to manipulate her targets in every way possible, yet at least she had the decency to show compassion to a hanyou who had never raised a _finger_ at her, angrily or jokingly!

"_Izayoi_." The young spy stood up, glaring at her mother-in-law with a furious intensity that the other woman halted her actions. Her eyes spoke volumes and speech only came to a close second in her mind.

Therefore, violet bore into chocolate for what seemed like an eternity; a battle of wills commenced. Both women were stubborn and both married into a prestigious yet dangerous family of equally fearsome men.

On that level, they understood each other. They sympathized with each other. They wanted to _kill_ each other...

"Kagome," Izayoi smiled with false affection—the raven-haired woman instantly noted that her elder counterpart was seconds away of crossing the 'do-not-kill-daughter-in-law' line. "Are you, by any chance, forsaking your contract with InuTaishou? Did you, by any chance, _forget_ the reason why we married you to our son? Hmm?"

A trap. Those 'innocent' questions were freakin' traps. Knives were hidden under cleverly subtle emphasis on certain words, itching to launch in mid-air and bury under the delicate skin of her throat. Heh, and everyone who thought they knew the Maebashi matriarch believed she was a saintly housewife. Kagome nearly gagged.

"All I know," two can play at the game of playing the innocent housewife, "is that when I married Inuyasha, I made a vow to care for him through sickness and health. Won't I be ruining my cover as a dedicated wife if I don't acknowledge that vow?"

Two pairs of eyes narrowed. Two pairs of lips pursed and thinned into a deep line on scowling faces. Two women battled without weapons, without laying a single hand on each other. And the battle was only beginning.

"You're only a spy, remember that. You are to keep the Reaper in check and befriend the Assassin's Daughter. The Sadist must be fooled by your façade at all times. I don't require anything else from you."

At long last, Izayoi mustered the strength to walk without falling over, and turned to exit the room. She didn't even glance behind her as she proudly strode away, limping only mildly.

Meanwhile...Kagome glared at the absent space she had recently occupied.

Along with the contract she signed under the watchful eye of InuTaishou on the day of her wedding, she made another vow. Although she was a spy and was hired to marry a hot-headed hanyou she barely knew, the moment she laid eyes upon him for the first time on that day she promised to protect him.

She promised to protect him from the family that turned him into a monster.

So, in that moment, she was no longer a spy.

Kagome instead became a _double_-spy, which was why she had decided to spy on InuTaishou's meeting earlier in the day without anyone's notice. And now that her employers refuse to end the six-year cycle of hurting her target, their own son, she was now taking 'justice' into her own hands.

How will she accomplish that?

_Oh, Inuyasha will _love_ what I have to tell him once he wakes up..._

**

* * *

**

Rin stared out the black-tinted window of the private Maebashi limo she was currently riding on, not really focusing on the beautiful landscape but rather lost in her thoughts. She was home...she was back in busy Tokyo, Japan. She was now within reach of her father and would be living with the Maebashi family—a band of assassins like her—indefinitely.

Furthermore, she had come home with a husband...and she was his in more ways than one.

_I can't believe the week flew by so quickly,_ the young woman thought, resting her head on her left hand as she continued to daze. _Hell, I still can't believe I'm not a virgin anymore. _

She snorted at the thought; it wasn't like she felt any different. The only thing slightly new was the fact that she bonded with a demon far from amiable and who was also her sworn enemy. It wasn't like she could sleep with a guy and pretend he didn't exist, though—she wasn't a whore and gained no pleasure from trivial affairs.

And that was what scared her.

Rin knew better than anyone that assassins were not supposed to attach to anyone for the greater part of their lives. Heh, especially not in her world where a friend could become a foe in a matter of seconds...especially when her husband was a ruthless assassin...

_Oh gods,_ she shut her eyes as though in pain and barely suppressed the urge to groan like a teenager agonizing over a crush. _What am I doing to myself?! I can't believe I _like_ Sesshoumaru... I guess it was inevitable. He is my husband after all. _

The dark-haired newlywed sighed and opened her cinnamon eyes, allowing them to land on a certain taciturn demon sitting beside her, gazing out the opposite window. He mirrored her position, his right hand serving as a cushion for his chin. No one could deny that he was a magnificent creature solely birthed by the great gods themselves. His stoicism was unnerving, yet regal in a fitting way; she could not imagine her husband any other way.

But what attracted Rin the most to Sesshoumaru was the fact that he wanted to _kill_ her.

She was well aware that he was capable of killing her, the Assassin's Daughter.

_Very_ well aware. So much that it even pained her.

Suddenly, golden honey eyes shifted to her, curiously watching her out of the corners of perfectly shaped eye sockets. Rin's breath caught in her throat at the look—how had he known that she had been staring at him?! How embarrassing! Yet, she merely smiled at the inquisitive dog demon, whose concern over the sudden depressive change in her scent was apparent to a keen observer, and shook her head.

Dear lord, they were becoming so in tune with each other that they could survive communicating through only body language...

The bright, alert eyes settled on her for a moment longer prior to flitting back to the view outside the moving limo. Rin let out a breath of relief and immersed herself in her thoughts again.

For some odd reason, Sesshoumaru had taken to being extremely reticent during the plane ride _and_ limo ride to the Maebashi Estate. No, no—she knew why he was so quiet and refused to engage in small talk: he was angry.

If there was something she noted about her husband, it was that when he was substantially annoyed or furious, he became subdued..._reserved_. He brimmed with inner fury from inside, yet seemed cool and collected on the outside. The only way to tell if he was angry or not was by looking into his eyes.

Should the irises be more golden than normal, he was _livid_ and _dangerous_.

Should the irises be more honey than normal, he was calm, even mellow or on the border between impassiveness and fury.

Rin briefly wondered what was grating on Sesshoumaru's nerves at the moment, but failed to come up with a suitable conclusion. It couldn't have been her because he just glanced at her with concern; he wouldn't have cared to even flick his eyes over to her if he was annoyed at his wife.

So what was it?

His body tensed significantly as the limo officially entered a private, Maebashi-only road and an idea popped into her head. Ah, so he was reluctant to reunite with his family...

It wasn't like she wanted to see her father, either—if not ever—so she sympathized with the dog demon.

Silently, Rin reached over and cupped her husband's left clawed hand in her own hands, tenderly massaging his palm as she busied her mind by studying the appendage. Of course, the skin on the pads of his fingers and palm was calloused; her hands weren't so soft, too.

Yet, she enjoyed that fact...

When his rough hands were gliding over her body—her hyper-sensitive skin—tracing the lengths of her curves, it felt amazing...it felt like she was being treated like a real woman, not a delicate flower that would break at the slightest touch. Being an assassin, she wasn't a huge romantic—she didn't dream about a man whispering sweet nothings into her ear or making her breakfast or...

Sesshoumaru treated her like an equal. He didn't treat her any different than he treated anyone else (well, except in bed). Heh, he proved her theory when he locked her in a closet and played upon her worst fears during their honeymoon _more_ than once. Yes, he wasn't afraid of torturing her a little.

Rin smirked at this. She wouldn't be his demure little housewife and he knew it.

The pad of her thumb gently rubbed the pale, smooth skin of the back of his hand, hoping to ease his tension...to calm him before the storm inside him erupted. Curiously, she fitted her right hand against his left, comparing their sizes...

Obviously his dwarfed hers.

But both shared a commonality: they had been stained in blood.

_I wonder... _The cinnamon-eyed woman inwardly grinned mischievously before lacing her fingers between his long, slender ones, gripping tightly onto his hand. _Hm, he didn't react. Oh well, not that I expected him—huh?! _

She sharply lifted her gaze to meet a pair of amused honey eyes, and she blinked rapidly, mulling over the fact that his mood had changed so swiftly. His fingers curled over her hand, returning her earlier gesture...she swore the corner of his lips upturned into a smirk, proud of himself for overcoming her challenge.

A blush bloomed over her cheeks before she could stop it, and she looked away, surprised by the constricting of her chest by just a simple golden gaze. She'd seen it countless of times! B-But...they had never interlaced hands...an ultimate act of affection...

Oh gods, her cheeks were flaming now!

Just when Rin was going to muster the courage to ignore her schoolgirl crush and pretend that her face didn't flush, a clawed finger traced the curve of her chin and her breath caught in her throat once more. Slowly, the finger guided her head to face a certain smirking demon, and she only flushed a darker red at the intensity her husband stared at her with.

Sesshoumaru leaned in ever so gradually, allowing Rin to feel his soft breath over her lips before lightly pressing his against hers in a chaste, slow kiss. It was a mere brush of lips, yet it excited Rin's sensitive nerves, sending them on haywire, coursing through her veins at top speed. She wasn't even breathing and her eyelids didn't have enough time to close completely before the demon pulled away, leaving their hands locked.

Now she was confused, and she glanced at him questioningly, though understood immediately. The smile she caught on the silver-haired assassin's face told her all she needed to know. She couldn't help but smile brightly in return, suddenly happier than she was since she awoke this morning.

He had just said 'thank you' in his obscure way...and she couldn't ask for anything more.

Even so, it still amazed her that an entire conversation had passed in complete silence.

**

* * *

**

"What the hell is taking them so long?! Dammit, I'm fucking hungry!"

"Shut up, Inuyasha! Geez, you're so annoying in the morning!"

"You got a problem with that, wench?!"

"Why the hell do you think I'm saying it to your face?!"

"Now, now, children, let's not fight before the newlyweds arrive."

"That's _if_ they arrive, Mom!"

"They _are_ taking quite a while to arrive, Izayoi..."

"_-sigh-_ Not you, too, InuTaishou."

"What? I'm only copying my oh so patient and benevolent son."

"Keh! Damn straight!"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and glared at the main entrance to the Maebashi Estate, complete with black iron gates and a beautiful garden leading to the main house. His own home was about a mile from his parent's mansion; therefore, he was protected by the estate's security system, had his parents/employers within running distance, but still retained his privacy.

Whatever, not like he cared.

What he did care about, however, was the fact that his brother and his new sister-in-law were an hour late returning from their honeymoon and it pissed him the hell off! Kagome wouldn't let him eat breakfast because his mother wanted everyone to sit down as a family for the meal! Who in their right mind would impede a starving hanyou from his precious food?!

Geez, people in his family had no sense! Well, at least his father empathized...

Yet...deep down in side...far into the depths of his mind where his outer actions didn't reflect his inner thoughts...he was furious. He. Was. Fucking. _Furious_. Why? It fell beyond his comprehension.

All he knew was what his wife had neglected to tell him...what he himself had surmised...

...and what Sesshoumaru would probably know.

So here he was, his true motive for being pissed off due to the answers he desperately yearned to wring from his bastard of a brother while standing in the presence of two people who absolutely disgusted him at the moment: his parents. _They're dirty lying—_

Inuyasha cut his thought short and sighed deeply to calm his rage. He couldn't let on that he was seriously angry. Sadly, all he could do was wait until he and Sesshoumaru were alone; only then would he make sense of an alleged plot his parents were devising against their own sons.

But he couldn't believe that the people who gave life to him would...would...

His friends...weren't truly his friends. Both Miroku and Shippou knew a secret that was being kept from him and Sesshoumaru. Hell, maybe even Sango and Kirara, too. That was why assassins were trained _not_ to trust anyone but themselves.

Heck, sometimes he wondered if he trusted Kagome like he said he did...

The silver-haired hanyou would have pondered the thought further, curious about the feelings he refused to acknowledge because of his hectic lifestyle, yet the sight of a sleek black limousine rolling onto the main house driveway grabbed full control of his attention. His lips were set into a deep frown; the others merely thought he was pissed since he was hungry.

Showed what they knew about him. He wasn't as dense or narrow-minded as they thought.

"Ah! There's my beloved son and daughter-in-law! Aren't you excited to have another daughter to add to our collection, Izayoi? I am!" InuTaishou's golden eyes twinkled with mirth, chuckling heartily at his own jest. The brunette standing beside him rolled her violet eyes, yet a smile curved her lips.

Inuyasha watched his brother step out of the limo, the elder's expression emotionless and completely unreadable. Despite this, however, the hanyou realized that a volatile fire was raging within the supposedly nonchalant demon; ignited by what, he needn't wonder.

Their father was never lacking when it came to punishing his sons...his assassins.

_Hmph, what the hell did the old man do to Sesshou-bastard? I've never seen his eyes so bright before... _He shook his head, uncrossing his arms. _No, I'm lying. His eyes become bright right when he's about to kill someone. _A chill ran through his spine at the thought of a sinisterly smiling Sesshoumaru. _Gods he freaks me out. _

Not to mention Rin _did_ seem a little nervous around her husband—she too had noticed his sour mood. It shocked him and perhaps everyone else when she grabbed a hold of his left hand and squeezed it. Ha, what shocked them the most was when Sesshoumaru returned the gesture!

They had fun on their honeymoon he bet...

"Welcome back guys! Uh..." Kagome broke the tense silence that had settled upon the members of the Maebashi family as Sesshoumaru and his father shared a long, intense look and Izayoi, along with Rin, were at loss as to what to say. Inuyasha snorted, smirking a bit. "We're hungry! Yeah, food! L-Let's go get some...food..."

She trailed off once she realized no one was listening. The poor raven-haired woman instantly deflated and sighed. _Sometimes I really, really hate dog demons. _

"I'm glad you've returned, son," InuTaishou abruptly began, still not interrupting his battle of wills with his eldest. "_Business_ hasn't been the same without you."

Sesshoumaru didn't reply. He didn't even make his usual 'hn' sound. Crap, bad sign.

"Err..." The grip on Rin's hand tightened, and she instantly acknowledged the fact that her husband was trying to tell her that she better stop him from doing something rash, and _quickly_. Izayoi discreetly noted the silent exchange with a passive expression. "I agree with Kagome! I'm famished—come on, you overgrown puppy! Time for breakfast!"

She grinned cheekily as she dragged an indignant dog demon behind her, taking the initiative to lead the way to the mansion. For some reason, there weren't any servants picking up their luggage from the limo... No matter, it was the least of her worries. _Please, everybody—cooperate! I have to calm Sessh down fast! _

He hadn't said a word all day...he was too quiet...damningly, chillingly quiet...

Inuyasha decided that this was his cue to assist Rin in her arduous task by acting the role of an annoyed ravenous hanyou. "Hells yeah! I've been freakin' waiting for you people all morning! Let's go, Kagome, it's survival of the fittest now!"

_Thank gods for Inuyasha,_ Rin mentally sighed, smiling graciously at the hanyou, who smirked in reply. Kagome took the hint, noticing that Sesshoumaru still glared at his father out of the corners of his eyes, and was swift to comply with her husband's wishes for once. Soon enough, both couples were out of sight and safely inside the large mansion without any mishaps...or bloodshed.

Either was good.

Meanwhile, InuTaishou and Izayoi remained rooted to their spots, analyzing what had recently occurred. The Maebashi matriarch then exhaled deeply, allowing her shoulders to sag, and faced her mate with a serious expression on her face.

"Sesshoumaru was always very perceptive, I suppose. Even after a week he's still upset over you 'punishing' him." She paused to brush a stray lock of inky black hair away from her violet eyes. "He and Rin seemed to have become closer. Do you think it's a good idea to allow feelings to develop between them?"

"It was bound to happen, and Inuyasha and Kagome were once in the same situation." The silver-haired demon shrugged and grinned brightly at his all-too-serious wife. Yet, the obnoxious grin failed to reach his solemn eyes. "Besides, I love torturing my sons once in a while!"

"InuTaishou..."

He deeply growled, too low for human ears to catch, and dropped his cheery persona. "I at least owe him one measly happiness, don't I? It's about damn time that pup learned to love a little." _And then watch it crash and burn._

Then there was no point in falling in love, right?

"You know full well that it'll only complicate things in the end." Izayoi wasn't convinced; the glint in her eyes displayed her determination. "He'll hate you even more when he finds out the truth. He'll _never_ forgive you—"

"Dammit, Izayoi, you think I don't know that?!" Rarely did he ever explode with such raw emotion, not even in front of his wife, but InuTaishou calmed himself before he lost control of his inner demon. "How the hell do you think it makes me feel? And then I have to deal with my youngest son becoming a _mindless_, _sadistic_ **monster!"**

"We brought this upon ourselves...and we have to face the consequences."

"I'm aware! It's just that...sometimes...I wonder where we went wrong."

Izayoi's gaze softened as she lifted her hand to brush against the indigo stripes along her mate's cheek. A deep sadness lingered in her eyes, a sadness that was reflected in his own gaze as well. "We were born to assassins and we bore assassins. It's a cycle we can't break and _they_ can't break. That's all, my dearest...that's all."

**

* * *

**

Breakfast, in simple terms, was a complete disaster.

It was no wonder that Rin breathed a sigh of relief when it was over and she was able to inhale _fresh_ air that _wasn't_ thick with tension. Dear gods, what the hell was up between Sesshoumaru and InuTaishou?! The two spent the entire meal glaring daggers at each other; or rather Sesshoumaru did while his father merely rolled his eyes.

Izayoi ignored the two demons and pretended like nothing was happening around her while Kagome attempted to stop her husband from joining in the hostile glaring contest. Apparently, Inuyasha didn't like being left out of competitions no matter what they were...

So now the Maebashi family of six stood in the backyard of the main house, stretching their limbs and basking in the sun of a beautiful, clear day. Well, despite the mishaps of this morning, Rin was glad she was back in a country that didn't rain as much as Italy—she had forgotten how much she loved the outdoors during her honeymoon!

Her cinnamon eyes lifted towards the sky before settling upon her husband, who was leaning against a tree under the shade, staring off into space...again. He was still pissed and obviously his bad mood wasn't relenting. _Why did Father make me marry such a temperamental dog demon? _It was lost on her.

"Hey, Dad! Are you gonna give them their wedding present or not?!" Inuyasha abruptly bellowed at his father from across the yard, just now stepping out of the mansion with his wife trailing closely behind him.

Hm, no one had noticed when the two had even gone back into the mansion in the first place. Oh well.

His silver-haired father turned around and gasped, remembering the 'wedding present'. "That's right! Thanks for reminding me, son!" The hanyou kehed as he made his way to the group. "Well then, everyone just follow me!" With that, InuTaishou grabbed his mate by the waist and took off into the skies...

Rin gazed at him as he bounded away from his mansion and further into the forested acres of land belonging to him. She tried to comprehend what was happening and why he suddenly reminded her of Tarzan, but she couldn't come up with a reasonable conclusion. Again, her in-laws were weird.

Yes, _very_ weird.

"Bastard, you better stop being such a whiny bitch and follow us or I swear I'll kick your ass and take your present _and_ wife. Keh!" Inuyasha didn't say anything more before facing his irate wife, who was annoyed at his last statement. What did he want—a harem?! "You know the drill, wench."

"I hate you sometimes," Kagome vehemently said, yet surprisingly, she climbed onto the hanyou's back, much to Rin's completely shock. "I might just castrate you once you fall asleep tonight. I'll even replace your balls with two packs of ramen. And I'll _enjoy_ eating them."

Whoah...she really didn't like sharing her man...

He gripped her thighs, making sure she wouldn't fall off, and offered her one of his trademark smirks. "Yeah, yeah—you want to fuck the life out of me, I know, but you gotta wait, alright? I promise I'll be yours all night long..."

Rin was unable to hear Kagome's reply because Inuyasha raced after his father, going to wherever dog demons went with their kidnapped wives. She blinked as they rapidly disappeared into the dense forest, which was only common outside of the industrial Tokyo. _What on earth...?_

She would've finished the thought had she not been suddenly hoisted up in the air and carried bridal-style by none other than Mister I'm-PMSing-so-talk-to-me-and-die.

The spluttering young woman stared up at Sesshoumaru, who didn't even spare her a glance, and copied what his family members had done. Their destination was unknown to her, but it wasn't like she had the will to turn her head and look for herself. No. She was staring very intently at the pale skin at the crook of the dog demon's neck.

_This actually feels kind of nice_... Rin smiled and leaned in her closer, sliding her hands up her husband's chest before hooking them around the back of his neck. His masculine scent, one she couldn't even describe, intoxicated her...she loved being so close to him, to feel his warmth encase her...

It made her feel secure in an ironic way; she was _far_ from safe in his arms.

Feeling quite brave and wanting desperately to get a reaction out of a certain stoic asshole, Rin closed the space between her lips and Sesshoumaru's neck. She inwardly grinned at the quickening of his pulse beneath her lips, and continued to plant open-mouth kisses along his jaw and pale, smooth skin.

Goddamn, she loved being in control...

However, she craved more of him; desired to taste him...make him wild... Her humid tongue took the place of her sensual lips, yet it was a wrong move.

The next thing she knew, rough tree bark was close to digging beneath the white blouse clothing her back as a ravenous mouth attacked hers, allowing her no chance to gather her bearings or regain control of herself. She wasn't even on her own two feet—a pair of hands guided her legs to wrap around a narrow waist prior to taking their rightful place on her thighs, smoothing back her flowing light blue skirt.

Rin allowed Sesshoumaru to dominate her; she let him take full control and teach her a lesson about messing with him. She accepted his bruising kisses and returned them with the same fervor, the same passion that had remained from their lovemaking the night before. She merely gripped the back of his navy polo as his demanding tongue engaged hers in a fierce duel and moaned without restraint when his experienced fingers raked over the aching core of her body through the thin fabric of her silk panties.

It must have been more than five minutes later that her patient endurance paid off and the lustful demon within her husband quelled. With one more hard kiss, he pulled away, effectively leaving her flushed, panting, dazed, and unfortunately desiring him more than prior...

"N-Not fair," the young woman forced in between her harsh breaths, straightening her blouse and skirt after a few moments adapting on her own two feet. "Y-You...y-you..."

Sesshoumaru brushed back a stray lock of silver hair; it was the only thing out of place on his entire being. His lips were a bit red and plumper than prior, but it wasn't as bruised as Rin's. He smirked at the state he left his wife in—not that he cared. Still, however, he offered her no words of comfort and merely glanced away, waiting for her stupor to settle.

_God-fucking-dammit!_ Rin had enough of this shit! _I'm going to end up a widow if he keeps sulking like a little bitch! _

So what if he was pissed—he couldn't just _refuse_ to say a word to her for a whole twenty-four hours! She didn't care if they were playing a game of apathy with each other (it was hard to be apathetic at times on her part), she didn't freakin' care that she was an assassin undercover—he was going to talk to her whether she had to take a knife and shove it up his ass or not!

Her thoughts were invigorating, so much that she marched up to the stoic dog demon, yanked on a few locks of his precious hair, and hissed into his face, "Why the hell won't you talk to me?" The fact that she wasn't screaming at this point didn't mean she was a saint; actually, it only meant that she was too angry to even muster the breath to yell.

He looked at her blankly, not even processing the fact that she was knotting his hair between her curled fingers. A word failed to pass through his tightly sealed lips still wet and soft from their earlier passion.

_Oh gods, I'm too violent for this!_ Whining wasn't going to land her anywhere—she needed to be strong! "Whatever is passing through that damn shit-sized head of yours, only remember one thing: anything you can do, I can do better." _Crap—that probably wasn't a smart thing to say. _

Especially with the way his perfect, slitted eyes narrowed almost inconspicuously...

Yet, it wasn't like she was in a state to care, so Rin 'hmphed' in his face before letting go of his hair and marching off as if she knew where she was going. As expected on her part, though, she only reached about a meter away from him until the demon in question hoisted her into his arms again and glided through the trees. She was still pissed off at him, but couldn't help relaxing in his strong, warm and possessive hold and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Yeah, Sesshoumaru was going to be the death of her one day.

**

* * *

**

"For fuck's sake, bastard, why the hell are you always making me wait?! I have a fucking life to live, you ass! You could've at least _waited_ to get frisky with your woman like me!"

As always, Inuyasha was impatient. No, he was _beyond_ impatient today. But Rin wasn't in the mood to deal with him; that was why Kagome existed to bonk him over the head to shut up. Hopefully the gods blessed the raven-haired woman for having tolerated a vexing, puerile hanyou as a husband for six long years.

She would've deeply pondered the life of the 'saintly' twenty-four-year-old woman longer, but the sight that met her cinnamon eyes literally took her breath away. What in the world was a freshly constructed large house doing in the middle of the Maebashi Estate?

"..." No words escaped her mouth. Her husband now had a reasonable explanation for being mute at the moment.

"You two like it? I thought it was a fitting present!" InuTaishou glanced proudly at his creation, grinning like a madman at the blank looks on his son and daughter-in-law's faces. "I mean, did you two honestly think you were going to live with me and Izayoi back at the main house?"

He received another round of blank stares.

"Idiots," Inuyasha muttered under his breath, crossing his arms like he always did, "even Kagome and I got a house when we came back from our honeymoon. How could you not have known?!" More blank stares were his replies. He sighed and shook his head. "Poor, innocent children."

The house was, of course, large, yet not as grand as the Maebashi manor where the head of the family lived; it was a decent size for a newlywed couple, but not small enough to undermine the family's lavish name. It stood in the middle of a large clearing about a mile away from the main house and a few meters in front of a diminutive creek that ran through the entire estate. Built from light brown bricks in order to withstand any earthquakes, the house seemed to have at least two main floors, a beautiful front porch lined with colorful flowers and shrubs, and plenty of windows to let in natural light from the sun.

All in all, it was Rin's dream home: something not overly large and expensive, but not something stuffy like an apartment. With it, she was able to maintain her privacy but still be connected to her new family members who were only about a mile away. And if she wasn't mistaken, it was Inuyasha and Kagome's house that stood across a bridge over the creek to her left...they were neighbors.

She couldn't manage words of gratitude. There were no words to explain the warmth that spread inside of her; thinking about her _own_ home, a place shared only by her husband... Tears misted her vision, but she blinked and cleared them away. It was pointless to get sentimental—it was actually beneficial to InuTaishou if Sesshoumaru stayed nearby him.

But...to go so far as to construct a _house_ for them... How far in advance had he planned their wedding?!

"Well, I think we should leave you two alone to..._christen_ your new home," Izayoi said in her soft, gentle tone of voice, yet mischievous all the same. She giggled and turned to her husband, who was now disappointed at the lack of response from the newlyweds. "Come on, InuTaishou, you haven't finished working on your presentations for tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know." The dog demon sighed in dismay. "Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, I expect you two at work at eight AM sharp. Don't disappoint me, boys—we have a huge meeting with Hoshiyomi Enterprises that must go _perfectly_."

Before he left, however, InuTaishou stepped closer to Sesshoumaru, taking advantage of the fact that everyone else wasn't paying attention, and whispered, "Whatever differences you have with me, put them aside. Right now you have other priorities."

Sesshoumaru flicked his golden eyes brimming with anger over to his father, his expression not changing from cold impassiveness, but refused to say anything on the matter. His father sought comfort in the fact that his eldest son would forgive and forget by tomorrow.

No, that was wrong. The Sadist _never_ forgot his grudges.

"Alright, then, have fun you two! A pair of keys should be inside and the doors are unlocked!" InuTaishou then moved towards Rin and, noticing that her mind was elsewhere, bent forward to intently sniff her womb. She immediately noticed and squeaked in surprise while Sesshoumaru had his arm raised ready to punch him; Izayoi was repeatedly smacking her forehead, Inuyasha doubled over in laughter, and Kagome...

...her expression was unreadable.

"Sheesh, still no grandchildren..." At least the business tycoon had enough sense to move away from his son's wife before the possessive dog demon beat him up, father or not. "Oh well! Let's go, Izayoi!" And as though nothing happened, InuTaishou grabbed his wife and took off...like Tarzan again. Yeah.

By this point, Inuyasha's laughter had calmed down enough for him to speak comprehensibly. "Ha ha, the looks on your faces were priceless! And I still want your wedding present, Sesshou-bastard, for reasons you have yet to find out."

The elder brother merely raised a brow. He didn't know what was so special about his house that Inuyasha was actually jealous.

"Anyway," Kagome's expression brightened considerably—why it had darkened, no one knew—and she faced Rin with a friendly grin. "Don't cook tonight because I'm cordially inviting you to eat dinner at my place! I think dinner should be ready at...seven."

"Yeah, and don't be late or I'll lock the doors and shut the windows." Inuyasha looked serious about his threat... "Hmph. Later!" The two promptly left; it probably didn't even take them a minute to get home.

Now Rin was left alone with her taciturn husband. She sighed and contented herself with looking at the interior of her new home—she loved exploring new places! A giggle passed her lips as she took the initiative and entered the large house, her husband following a minute later...

...that was, until she slammed the door in his face and locked it.

Sesshoumaru could only stare at the tightly closed door in front of him and mused if Rin would be even more pissed off should he melt a hole through it...

Nah, it would take too much energy.

* * *

**A/N: END! :-D Whew, now that I got this chapter off my chest, onto the next one! :-D Hehehe...**

Too explain crap with Inu, Izayoi, and Kags:** Basically, Inu is being drugged by his parents, a certain prototype you'll learn more about in the future. It doesn't allow him to remember painful events for him, since as you can tell he developed a split personality because killing (or just the trauma of his first kill) hurts him so much. But he mostly doesn't remember because, of course, it's a split personality thing. The drug primarily tranquils his inner demon or he'd be transforming all over the place (it's like a drug version of Tetsusaiga! :-D). Kags usually puts the drug once a week in a drink or food of his, Izzy does it sometimes, and Shippou and Miroku do it too. Inu never notices...or at least people think he doesn't...**

Next chapter:** A few weeks pass... Ooooh, Sessh and Inu are working in the office! Rin is adjusting to the housewife life... A visitor comes over for dinner...**

**Sooo...who is this visitor coming for dinner? Is Sessh gonna kill his father? Why do dog demons have such weird mood swings? Will Izayoi and Kagome duel to the death--who shall win? Where's my cactus? What did Kagome tell Inu? Did Inu know he was being drugged? Where's Jaken? Is Rin ever gonna let Sessh back into the house? **

**Nah, he's sleeping over my place tonight. :-D **

**REVIEW! Cuz the ducks in my backyard said so... Well, I don't have ducks in my backyard but I do have chipmunks! ;-) **


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